Brass and the Knuckle of Doom
by Nate Grey
Summary: Erika & Brass set out to surpass Ikki & Metabee.
1. Prologue: Henry...Exposed?!

Notes: One of the many overlooked Medabots, Brass is pretty much a female Metabee.  And Erika has proven she can kick Ikki's butt when the need arises.  So, finally, a fanfic dedicated to the determined yet overshadowed team of Erika and Brass.  Don't worry, Ikki & Metabee show up a lot.

The Knuckle of Doom does not actually exist in the world of Medabots, and yes, it's supposed to sound funny.

Genre: Humor/Adventure

Summary: A series following Erika & Brass's quest to surpass their male counterparts.

Brass and the Knuckle…OF DOOM!

Prologue – Henry…EXPOSED?!

IKKI AND METABEE ARE IN! the headline screamed.  The article underneath was much more detailed, of course.  One of her very best, truth be told.  But Ikki had always been Erika's preferred cover story.  Anyway, not many could say that their best friend was the third best Medafighter in Japan.  However, the article had left Erika with a strange sense of emptiness when she'd printed it.  Something was missing.

At first, she hadn't realized.  She was always watching Ikki and Metabee from the sidelines, their official cheerleader when they were up and official butt-kicker when they were down, so they would get back up in a hurry.  She had always believed in their potential, their will to win.

And yet, she had never believed in herself.  Not as a Medafighter, anyway.  The part that really bugged her was that there was absolutely no reason why she couldn't have been just behind Ikki in the rankings…or even higher then him.

Brass was a fine Medabot, and had always been there to help get the latest story on tape, get the paper out on time, or support Metabee when he needed it (though he rarely ever admitted that or thanked anyone).  In fact, the recent battle with Dr. Meta-Evil had made Erika realize something very important.

Metabee had a Hercules Beetle Type Medal.  So did Rintaro's Kantaroth, Space Medafighter X's Arcbeetle…and so did Brass.  She could be as good as any of them, maybe better.  Though, for some reason, she wasn't.

Erika blamed herself.  Brass usually only did what she was told to do, or what she thought would help her Medafighter at the moment.  She had never voiced an opinion on their lack of Robattles or Erika's obsession with being the best junior reporter around.  Instead, she'd just been there, whether Erika had asked her to be or not.  She was more than just a Medabot.  Brass was a constant, reliable companion, and a true friend.

And perhaps, hidden beneath that calm, easygoing exterior, was the heart of a true champion.  If a Medabot as stubborn as Metabee could save the world, Erika was at least going to make sure Brass got local attention for something, even if it was just winning a citywide Robattle tournament.  But first, they'd have to train.  Luckily, Erika knew just where to start.

* * * * *

Henry was just about to close his store for the night when Erika burst in with Brass right behind her.  "Sorry, ladies, but I'm closing," he said, not looking up.   

"But this is important, Henry!" Erika cried.  "I need some Medaparts for training!"

"Training for who?  One of your friends just get a Medabot?"

Erika glared at him.  "NO!  They're for Brass!"

"They are?" Brass asked at once, clearly surprised.

"Yes!  So you CAN'T close, Henry!  We need those Medaparts NOW!"

Henry didn't look convinced.  "Sorry, Erika, but you know what time I close.  You can't just barge in here and expect me to stay open, even if it is you."

"Do it as a favor to the number three Medafighter in Japan!"

"I doubt Ikki knows you're here, and I really don't think he'd want you trying to Robattle your way after his title."

"I don't CARE what Ikki would want!  This about Brass and me!"

"Miss Erika!" Brass cried, looking shocked.

Henry gave Erika an appraising look.  "So you're planning on training Brass?  What brought this on?"

"I'm tired of being just another girl in Ikki's little gang of Medafighters!  Even Karin and Neutranurse helped out against Giganko, and I know we're better than them!"

"I don't know," Henry said airily.  "She IS undefeated…"  

"She's never been in an official Robattle!  Of COURSE she's undefeated!"

"Thought I was the only one that noticed.  So, you just want to beat up Neutranurse?"

Erika sighed.  "No!  I want to prove that Brass is as good as Metabee."

"Might be tough," Henry reasoned.  "Metabee's got a three mile-long lucky streak…plus the Medaforce.  And Ikki's no slouch anymore, either."

"Well, neither am I!" Erika snapped.  "I'm going to show everyone that Metabee isn't the only sharpshooter in town!"

"You sound determined, I'll give you that," Henry said after a moment.  "But you're always like that, just not about being a Medafighter.  I could sell you some parts, but how do I know they won't go to waste when your next big story pops up?"

Erika smirked confidently.  "If things go my way, Brass WILL be my next big story."

Henry smiled.  "I'm glad you seem so certain about this, Erika, but I still have to close…"

"Oh, no you don't.  Not when I can blackmail you!"

Henry's smile faltered.  "What…?"

Erika pulled a small photo out of her pink overalls.  "I have classified information that proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that YOU, Henry, are…"

Henry sweatdropped.  _She can't really have proof that I'm the Phantom Renegade and Space Medafighter X…can she?!_

"…definitely related to Space Medafighter X, a.k.a. the Phantom Renegade!!!"

Henry collapsed in a twitching heap.  

"Oh my!" Brass gasped.

"I KNEW IT!" Erika shouted, shoving the photo in his face.  "You're the Phantom's twin brother!"

Henry looked up to see a crude pencil drawing of himself standing between the Phantom and Space Medafighter X.  They DID look a lot alike.  "Wow, Erika," he said weakly.  "I underestimated your journalist skills.  You've got me all figured out…"

"So I WON'T print your secret in tomorrow's paper if you sell me some Medaparts for Brass right now!"

"Okay, okay, I'll help you."  Henry climbed back to his feet.  "Fortunately, Brass isn't all that different from Metabee, and from all the times we…um…you've seen him Robattle, you should be familiar with the parts Ikki has."

"And they'll all work for Brass?" Erika asked eagerly.

"Most of them should.  Brass has a Hercules Beetle Type Medal, and her specialty is shooting, just like Metabee.  You might even say she's a female KBT."

"This is great!  Not only can we train to be better than Ikki and Metabee, but we can BEAT them with their own parts!"

Brass looked somewhat uncomfortable.  "Erika," she said hesitantly.

"What is it, Brass?"

"Why this sudden interest in defeating Ikki?  He is your friend.  He has been for a while now…"

Erika's mood deflated a bit.  "I don't necessarily want to BEAT him, I just want to be as good as him.  But since we're already aiming high, I figure we should aim highest."

"But…we haven't been in that many Robattles.  I hardly think I'm on Metabee's level anymore."

"That's exactly why we're going to train!  We're going to prove that girls can kick butt, too!"

Brass still looked worried.  "Metabee has the Medaforce…"

"We'll worry about that if we get to the top ten.  Right now, we're going to work on making you citywide champion."

"Then…you'd have no problem fighting Ikki and Metabee?"

Erika smiled.  "Is that what's bothering you, Brass?  That you might have to fight them one day?"

Brass nodded.  "I'm sorry, Miss Erika."

"Don't worry about it.  Just keep in mind that Ikki and Metabee are ultimately boys, and boys love a good fight.  Think of how surprised they'll be when we're the ones that bring that fight to them."

Brass giggled.  "It does have a certain entertainment value…"

"Remember, Brass.  If we ever want to get that far, we have to train hard.  I might even have to let someone else run then newspaper for a while."

Brass was horrified.  "But, Miss Erika!  Your dreams!"

"There's always room for another dream in my head, Brass.  And once you become a champion, they'll be begging me to come back and do a story on you."

Brass blushed.  "Do…you really think I can do this, Erika?"

Erika patted her shoulder.  "Sure, I do."

There was a loud sob behind them as Henry hid his face in his hands.  "That was beautiful!" he wailed, choking up.  "A girl and her Medabot…off to achieve their dreams of fame and glory!"  He sniffled.  "You two are truly an inspiration to Medafighters everywhere!"

"I don't suppose that gets us a 90% discount?" Erika asked.

Henry quickly dried his tears.  "You're not THAT inspiring."

"But I bet this picture is…"  Erika waved the drawing.

Henry sighed.  "Fine!  85%, plus I'll teach you everything you need to know about the Hercules Beetle Type Medal's abilities."

"Deal!"  Erika shook his hand.  "Let's get started!"

Henry gaped at her.  "Right NOW?!"

"Sure!  We haven't got all night!"

"We wouldn't have ANY of it if you'd let me close…!"

But Erika was already pulling Brass over to some Multikolor arms that had caught her eye.

Henry shook his head, smiling a bit.  "Look out, Ikki and Metabee.  I think your worst nightmare was right under your nose the whole time…"

* * * * *

Chapter 1: Enter the Knuckle

Who is the mysterious, masked stranger in the park?  Is HE related to Phantom Renegade, too?  What's up with his weird Medabot?  And what will Mr. Referee dress up as this time?


	2. C1: Enter the Knuckle

Notes: The strange Medabot is not official, I made it up.  
  
Summary: A Robattle with a Stranger may hold the key to Erika's dreams.  
  
  
  
Brass and the Knuckle…OF DOOM!  
  
Chapter 1: Enter the Knuckle  
  
  
  
Ikki was no genius, but he knew there only certain people a top-ranked Medafighter like himself could trust. Once you got that big, most people only wanted a piece of the action. But the ones that had always been there, through good and bad, even when he was just a goofy kid with an old KBT type with an attitude problem. Those were the ones Ikki really trusted.  
  
So, when the offers for interviews began to pour in, he'd gone straight to Erika. She was the only reporter Ikki trusted not to twist his words into something he didn't mean. And if he didn't do an interview soon, people would begin to make up their own rumors. The last thing he needed was Metabee making a scene over how Samantha had supposedly taught them everything they knew.  
  
Erika had agreed at once, making Ikki promise she'd have the exclusive story. In return, he'd made her promise not to mention The Screws or Samantha in the interview at all. He'd heard Samantha was already working on a tell-all book of his life.  
  
It had been Metabee's idea to do the interview at Erika's house. There, they'd be safe from prying eyes and Ikki's mother trying to show off his baby pictures.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Erika glanced down at her notepad. "What's the first thing that went through your mind after hearing you were ranked number three?"  
  
Ikki closed his eyes. "I kept thinking somebody made a mistake. Like it wasn't really happening."  
  
"That's what HE thought," Metabee interrupted. "I was thinking, number THREE?! We just beat Giganko, the biggest Medabot in history! That's a Metabee Bopping big enough for number ONE!"  
  
"You know that didn't count, Metabee. We cheated."  
  
"Oh, so saving the world is cheating now? What's playing fair, getting stomped by a foot the size of Tokyo?!"  
  
Erika snickered. "Who do you consider your greatest inspirations to be?"  
  
"Rokusho, no question about it," Metabee replied at once.  
  
Ikki thought for a while. "I guess Koji and Space Medafighter X. I know they're my competition, but they gave me some of the toughest battles ever. Excluding Giganko and MegaEmperor, of course."  
  
"Has your opinion of Space Medafighter X changed, now that you know him to be the infamous Phantom Renegade?" Erika asked.  
  
"I think I respect him more now," Ikki answered. "He risked his life for us several times and taught me more about being a real Medafighter than I ever would've learned on my own. We couldn't have beaten Giganko's first form without him and Arcbeetle. Through it all, he never even stole a single medal, anyway."  
  
"But if the chance to unmask him DOES come up, we're taking it!" Metabee added.  
  
Erika checked her notes again. "Any special women in your life you'd like to mention, Ikki?"  
  
Ikki turned bright red. "Um…my mom, of course. She believes I can do anything, and I'll do my best not to disappoint her. And Karin, who proved to me that you can have a gentle spirit and still be tough enough to keep the number two Medafighter in Japan on a leash."  
  
"Ooooh, low blow!" Metabee chuckled.  
  
Ikki was staring at his shoes now and obviously blushing. "Also…a certain reporter that's always been right behind me, supporting, worrying, and threatening me when I needed it."  
  
"Let's not forget her shiny, shapely Medabot, either!" Metabee put in, winking at Brass.  
  
Erika grinned slightly. "Any words for those who claim this is all one big lucky streak?"  
  
Ikki shrugged. "I'll take it any way I can get it. I feel lucky, but in the end, I think it comes down to what Metabee and I can do as a team. If we can save the world, competing in the Robattle World Championships shouldn't be TOO hard."  
  
"Hey, and for anybody that thinks we're a fluke, they can step up and KISS THEIR BOT GOODBYE!"  
  
"Well, I think we're done here," Erika said. "Unless there's something else you guys want to add?"  
  
"Nah, we'll save our words for Robattling," Metabee replied.  
  
Ikki stretched his arms. "So what are up to today, Erika?"  
  
Erika smiled. "Oh, I thought I'd go to Henry's and pump him for info on the Medafighter of the same name who supposedly won big at the Robattle Championships a ten years ago. For once, I'm glad Rintaro has a big mouth."  
  
"Wouldn't it be WEIRD if that really was Henry, though?" Ikki asked.  
  
"No weirder than him being the Phantom Renegade's brother," Brass murmured.  
  
"Huh?" Metabee asked.  
  
"Oh, nothing," Brass said quickly. "Now, what were you saying about a shiny, shapely Medabot…?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Miss Erika, this is the park," Brass said after a moment. "I thought we were going to Henry's?"  
  
"That was a just a cover up for what we're really going to be doing. Ikki and Metabee can't know about our training, remember?"  
  
"So…we have to lie to them?"  
  
Erika shrugged and sat down on a bench. "It's not REALLY a lie, Brass. We did pass Henry's store on the way here…"  
  
"I see. How will we be training, then?"  
  
"Since your specialty is shooting, we should work on your aim first. Let's try-"  
  
At that moment, there was a loud, sickly cough behind them.  
  
Erika slowly turned to see an old man with a cane limping towards her. He was wearing a peculiar mask that looked like an exact replica of Metabee's head. "Brass…are you seeing this, too?"  
  
"Yes, Miss Erika," Brass whispered, coming to stand beside her.  
  
"Oh, good. Then maybe it's just mass hysteria…"  
  
The old man stopped in front of them. "Excuse me, young lady," he said in a withering voice, "but are you a Medafighter?"  
  
"Um…yes, sir…" Erika was doing her best not to laugh.  
  
"Wonderful! You might be the one to make my final dream come true!"  
  
Erika blinked. "Huh?"  
  
"You see, my doctors have only given me a year to live. I've been searching the world for a pretty, young Medafighter to face in one last Robattle."  
  
"He sounds like some kind of pervert," Brass whispered. "Should I attack?"  
  
Erika shushed her. "So you're some kind of famous Medafighter?"  
  
"Oh, certainly not. In fact, I'm quite sure you'll win. I just want to see my loyal Medabot, Eldersaur, Robattle one last time."  
  
"ELDERSAUR?!" Erika and Brass asked.  
  
The old man raised his Medawatch to his lips. "Transport Medabot."  
  
The Medawatch beeped uncertainly for a few seconds, then whirred and went dead.  
  
Erika and Brass sweatdropped.  
  
The old man laughed nervously. "It's a bit old…" He tried again.  
  
This time, there was a bright flash of light, and a hulking figure appeared.  
  
It was ugly, green, and obviously five minutes from permanent system freeze. In a former life, it might've been a dinosaur, but now it was even a poor excuse for that.  
  
"THAT'S Eldersaur?!" Erika's jaw dropped in sheer disbelief. Then she turned to Brass. "There is NO way we're turning THIS Robattle down!"  
  
"But…Miss Erika…I feel sorry for them. They obviously can't win…"  
  
"He's the one that wants to Robattle, and he knows he'll lose. I say we grant his last wish and put Eldersaur out of his misery!"  
  
Brass looked uneasy, but nodded. "Well…if you say so."  
  
"Then it's agreed!" shouted a familiar voice.  
  
The old man's cane wobbled crazily in his hand, and then the top popped off, revealing Mr. Referee's head.  
  
Erika sweatdropped. "How did you get in there?"  
  
"Trust me, you don't want to know!" Mr. Referee slowly and painfully pulled himself out of the cane. "This is an official submission Robattle! The Masked Medafighter's Eldersaur versus Erika's Brass! Medafighters ready?"  
  
The old man and Erika nodded.  
  
"Medabots…Rooobattle!"  
  
Eldersaur didn't look like he'd be moving very much, so Erika said, "Try some rapid fire, Brass!"  
  
Brass took aim and fired, all of her shots connecting with Eldersaur's thick hide.  
  
Eldersaur yawned and scratched himself.  
  
Erika sweatdropped. "Um…maybe you have to get in close…?"  
  
Brass sprang forward, firing again, but it was no good.  
  
Eldersaur didn't seem to care or even know that he was in a Robattle, and closed his beady little eyes. Soon he was snoring loudly.  
  
"Um…doesn't that count as ceased functioning?" Erika asked uncertainly.  
  
Mr. Referee shook his head, but even he looked pretty stumped. "Eldersaur is still fully functional. Just…really, really sleepy…"  
  
Erika sighed into her Medawatch. "Well…I don't think he's going to move, so…try and tip him over or something."  
  
Brass got a running start and crashed into Eldersaur. The impact nearly put HER out of commission, but Eldersaur continued to sit there like a large, ugly green rock.  
  
"I don't think we're going to win this one, Miss Erika," Brass sighed, clutching her damaged arm. "I'm sorry I let you down…"  
  
At that moment, Eldersaur yawned…and fell backwards, hitting the ground with an earth-shaking thud. His medal popped out and landed in front of Brass.  
  
"Function ceased!" Mr. Referee shouted half-heartedly, doing his best not to seem disappointed. "The winner is…Brass!"  
  
Erika smirked and patted Brass's shoulder. "What was that about letting me down? We just won a Robattle…AND a Medapart!" The she paused. "Although I'm not sure I want anything of Eldersaur's…"  
  
"His hide might be useful," Brass pointed out. "He has excellent defense."  
  
The old man limped over, smiling broadly. "Thank you ever so much, ladies. Well, here's the Medapart I owe you." He tapped his Medawatch, but nothing happened.  
  
"Oh, that's okay," Erika said quickly. "You don't have to-"  
  
"No, I insist. You won fair and square." The old man frowned and began beating the Medawatch with his fist.  
  
Brass sweatdropped. "Please don't go to any trouble, sir…"  
  
Now the old man was banging the Medawatch against Eldersaur's head. "NO! TROUBLE! AT! ALL!"  
  
Finally, the Medawatch beeped…and promptly exploded.  
  
Eldersaur snorted, and something hit the ground with a thunk.  
  
"THERE it is!" The old man bent down (his back creaking in protest) and awkwardly lifted up what appeared to be a green gauntlet. The most disturbing thing about it was that it looked exactly like Eldersaur's fist.  
  
"What…is it?" Erika asked, already fearing the worst.  
  
"The K.O.D.," the old man replied.  
  
"You mean like the fish?"  
  
"NO! Not COD! K.O.D.!"  
  
"Ooookay," Erika said slowly. "What's it stand for?"  
  
The old man brightened at once. "Why, I'm so glad you asked. It's the Knuckle…OF DOOM!!!"  
  
Erika and Brass jumped, clearly startled. "Don't DO that!!!"  
  
"It's part of the effect. Anyway, with this weapon, your Medabot will be unstoppable!"  
  
"Like…Eldersaur?" Brass asked weakly.  
  
"Oh, heavens, no. Nobody can be THAT good."  
  
Erika sweatdropped. "Um…"  
  
"As I was saying, the Knuckle…OF DOOM!!! has amazing powers! Why, I bet it could even stand up to…well…the Medaforce!"  
  
Erika gaped at him. "Are you SURE?!"  
  
"Well, no," he admitted.  
  
She deflated at once. "Oh."  
  
"But it's worth a try! There are three rules you must remember when using the K.O.D., though."  
  
"Rules?" Erika asked, looking wary.  
  
"First, you must never depend solely on the K.O.D. to win, or it will be useless. Focus instead on your Medabot's individual strengths, and the K.O.D. will call to you when it is needed."  
  
"It TALKS?!"  
  
"Of course not! But it'll KNOW when it's need, and then you'll KNOW."  
  
Erika frowned. "Well, okay…"  
  
"Second, you may only use the K.O.D. against worthy opponents. If you Robattle someone who has no chance against you, the K.O.D. will not respond at all."  
  
"I guess that makes sense…" Erika murmured.  
  
"Finally, and MOST importantly, you must treat the K.O.D. with the proper respect! It is a living thing, just like your Medabot, and demands to be treated as such! If you dishonor the K.O.D., it will choose another master!"  
  
"Did YOU dishonor it?" Brass asked.  
  
The old man laughed nervously. "Eh…well, I left it in the attic for a few years…but that's NOT the point! You must take care of it, as if it WERE your Medabot!"  
  
"I think I understand," Erika said. "Only…if it's so great, how come I've never heard of it?"  
  
"The K.O.D. is the only one of its kind. All its owners have kept its power secret, passing it on to more skilled Medafighters as they were each defeated. And now, my dear, I pass it on to you and your Brass." The old man held out the K.O.D. carefully.  
  
Erika slowly accepted the weapon…and nearly broke both her arms as she fell under the weight. "AAAH!"  
  
"Miss Erika!" Brass cried in alarm.  
  
"GET IT OFF ME!!!" Erika screamed.  
  
Brass tried to lift the gauntlet, but it was no use. "It's too heavy! You have to transport it!"  
  
"Transport…owww…Medapart…"  
  
The K.O.D. reappeared on Brass's right arm…and nearly sent her crashing into the bushes. "Are…you okay…Miss Erika?" she groaned, trying to ease the K.O.D. to the ground.  
  
"I suppose it IS a bit heavy," the old man murmured.  
  
Erika glared up at him. "As soon as I get feeling back in my arms, I'm going to STRANGLE you! FIRST, you seriously damage my Medabot, THEN you try to kill me with this ton-heavy glove, and NOW you're trying to say I'm WEAK?!"  
  
"Calm down, my dear. As I recall, you TOLD your Medabot to charge my Eldersaur. In truth, the K.O.D. isn't meant to be handled by human hands. It's strictly for Medabots."  
  
"But Brass can barely move it!" Erika protested, slowly and painfully sitting up.  
  
"She's not used to the weight. Once you've trained extensively with it and are familiar with the K.O.D.'s abilities, I guarantee she won't even feel it."  
  
"I can't…really feel…anything…now," Brass noted.  
  
Erika checked her Medawatch. "I hope you're happy! That thing just froze up her arm!"  
  
"Well, as I said, she must get used to the weight, and it was a tough Robattle. Anyway, I must be going…"  
  
"Wait a minute!" Brass said. "Why are you wearing that KBT mask?"  
  
"Um…I'm horrendously ugly."  
  
"Really?" Erika asked, sounding very interested. She pulled out her camera. "How ugly?"  
  
"Horribly. Spectacularly, even." The old man began to back away.  
  
"I've GOT to have a picture of that!"  
  
"No, you don't!" He tried to run.  
  
"Get him, Brass!" Erika shouted.  
  
Brass gave her Medafighter a blank look, and managed a good three steps before dropping the K.O.D. directly on the old man's left foot.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"  
  
"Sorry…" Brass truly looked it, too.  
  
"The PAIN! HORRIBLE!"  
  
Erika leaped forward and snatched off the KBT mask…only to find a red one resembling the Phantom Renegade's. "I don't believe it! YOU'RE in the Phantom Family, too!"  
  
The old man suddenly didn't sound so old any longer. "ARE YOU CRAZY?! YOU CAN'T GO AROUND DROPPING HEAVY THINGS ON PEOPLE'S FEET! I'M GOING TO SUE-- !" He trailed off, realizing his mistake, and sweatdropped. "Er…I mean, gracious, my dear! You should really be more careful…"  
  
But Erika was giving him a suspicious glare now. "Who are you, really?"  
  
He sighed. "If you must know, I'm…the Phantom Gentleman."  
  
Erika and Brass sweatdropped. "What…?"  
  
"I…I go around and do random acts of goodness. You know, volunteering at charities, doing clown tricks at birthday parties, rescuing cats from trees…"  
  
"That sounds nice," Brass murmured faintly.  
  
"Sure, it SOUNDS nice," Erika cut in. "But HE didn't a few seconds ago."  
  
Phantom Gentleman scowled at her. "YOU weren't exactly breaking out in smiles a minute ago, either."  
  
"That's what HAPPENS when people DROP HEAVY THINGS on you for NO GOOD REASON!" Erika countered.  
  
Eldersaur suddenly rolled to his feet, looking surprisingly alert.  
  
Brass sweatdropped.  
  
Phantom Gentleman sighed. "Let's go, Eldersaur. Looks like both of us could use some patching up." He limped off, REALLY limping this time, instead of faking it. Eldersaur followed at a leisurely pace.  
  
Erika looked exhausted. "Let's go home, Brass." She turned and started to walk off.  
  
"Miss Erika!" Brass called weakly, motioning to the K.O.D.  
  
"Oh. Sorry." Erika recalled the weapon into her Medawatch. "That thing's really going to be a pain."  
  
"But if it's as strong as he claims, don't you think we should give it a try?"  
  
"I don't know, Brass. A LOT about that guy was pretty fake."  
  
"But I do need some training, and if I could learn to lift the K.O.D., I might be a bit stronger when we Robattle."  
  
Erika considered that. "That's true…I guess we could try it. But tomorrow, after we've fixed you up. I think I'm going to be sore for a while…"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Continued in Chapter 2: Healing Hands  
  
Erika & Brass get some unexpected help from Karin & Neutranurse, while Ikki notices something strange about Henry. 


	3. C2: Healing Hands

Notes: Thanks to all who reviewed. Don't worry, I won't have Brass face Metabee immediately. I plan to send her through training first, some of which you'll see in this chapter. But rest assured, they WILL Robattle at some point. Oh, yes. They WILL Robattle…  
  
Summary: There's something up with Henry…and Brass begins training.  
  
  
  
Brass and the Knuckle…OF DOOM!  
  
Chapter 2: Healing Hands  
  
  
  
Erika woke up to see a familiar pink Medabot bending over Brass. "What the…?"  
  
"Good morning, Erika!" Karin sang, beaming at her.  
  
Erika sweatdropped. "Karin…what are you doing in my room?" She glanced at her clock. "And at six in the morning?!"  
  
Karin didn't seem to notice Erika's somewhat angry tone. "The early bird catches the worm, and the early Medafighter gets more training in with her Medabot!"  
  
"How did YOU know we're in training?"  
  
"Oh, I passed Henry's store on the way over and he told me all about it."  
  
Erika gaped. "Henry's store was open BEFORE six?! But he doesn't open until eight!"  
  
"Didn't you know?" Karin asked. "The store's open twenty-four hours now."  
  
Erika frowned. "That's weird…"  
  
"Enough about Henry; we're here to help you and Brass train!"  
  
"You…are?" Erika looked around Karin to see that Neutranurse had almost totally healed Brass. "How can you help us?"  
  
Karin smiled. "Uncle Aki just upgraded Neutranurse's shield for me. If Brass can break through it, no one else will stand a chance!"  
  
"Except Ikki and Metabee…and Space Medafighter X and Acrbeetle…AND everyone ELSE that's better than us!"  
  
Karin pouted. "You just can't THINK like that, Erika! Brass can do anything that Metabee can do, but only if you have faith in her." Then she noticed the large, green gauntlet on Brass's right arm. "Oooh! What's THAT?"  
  
"It's…well…the Knuckle of Doom. We won it in a Robattle yesterday."  
  
"That's great!" Karin proclaimed, giving her a quick hug. "See, you're winning already! But you have to sound more confident."  
  
"Okay, fine. It's the Knuckle…OF DOOM!!!"  
  
"AAAH!" Karin squealed, jumping back. Then she smiled. "Much better!"  
  
Erika sweatdropped. "Let's just get started, Karin…"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Ikki and Metabee knew something was up when they stepped into what was once Henry's store.  
  
Only now it was more like Henry's Voodoo House of Horror.  
  
In fact, it WAS Henry's Voodoo House of Horror. But that only made the fact worse.  
  
There were jungle plants everywhere, and a rather large snake perched in a tree over the checkout counter.  
  
Ikki was about to drop his jaw until he spotted Henry.  
  
At least, the person who had once been Henry.  
  
Only now he was more like the Grand High Voodoo Salesman. The only part of him visible from behind the counter was a large, brown African mask with white streaks of face paint. The mask was easily taller than Izzy, and probably weighed twice as much.  
  
Ikki swallowed. "Um…Henry…?"  
  
"That's HENRY?!" Metabee asked in disbelief.  
  
The mask turned towards them. "Takala mah duddy pans…"  
  
Ikki sweatdropped. Metabee just looked afraid.  
  
"Takala mah duddy pans…" the mask repeated, slowly coming closer to them.  
  
"So should we take all his dirty pans or what?" Metabee whispered.  
  
"Pans? PANS?" said Ikki. "I thought he said PANTS!"  
  
Metabee glared at him. "Don't give him any ideas; you'll only make it worse!!!"  
  
The mask stopped a few feet away, and what seemed to be an empty can of bean dip rolled out of the mouth and hit the floor.  
  
Ikki was nearly covered in sweatdrops, and Metabee looked like he would rust over from all his any moment.  
  
A hand emerged from the mouth and gripped Ikki's shoulder. "Takala mah duddy pans…" the mask hissed, pulling him forward.  
  
"Ikki, get back here!" Metabee whispered fiercely.  
  
"I can't! He's PULLING me!!!"  
  
Metabee grabbed the back of Ikki's shirt and pulled.  
  
There was a ripping sound, and Metabee came away with most of Ikki's favorite red shirt. "Um…oops."  
  
But Ikki was too distracted to notice a little thing like that.  
  
The hand was squeezing his bare arm, as if testing the width of it. "Tasteez…" the mask hissed. Suddenly, a saltshaker appeared in the hand, which proceeded to sprinkle Ikki's arm.  
  
"That can't be good…" Metabee reached for his Medafighter's other arm and tried to pull him away again.  
  
The hand pulled Ikki closer to the mouth, and there was the unmistakable sound of lips smacking behind the mask. "Tasteez…"  
  
Ikki was practically drowning in sweatdrops and had the good fortune to slip in some. His feet flew up into the air, hitting the mask with a picture-perfect dropkick.  
  
The mask went crashing into the counter.  
  
"RUN!" Metabee shouted.  
  
Boy and Medabot took off, running until they could barely breathe.  
  
Ikki collapsed into the grass. "Holy Medarollie, Metabee! What just happened back there?!" he panted.  
  
"If I had to guess, I'd say our friend Henry is a closet cannibal. Only he's not so closet about it today."  
  
"I can't believe the guy I bought you from was trying to EAT me…"  
  
"Is there salt on your arm or not?!"  
  
"Okay, I believe it. But what do we do?"  
  
"Maybe we should call the cops?"  
  
"I meant about my SHIRT!"  
  
Metabee blinked. "Oh. Guess we better go home…and call the cops from there."  
  
"You do have a point. I wouldn't want Mom accidentally walking in there and-"  
  
"DON'T make me picture that, Ikki!"  
  
"Sorry…"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Neutranurse stood at the ready, her shield extended and at its full power.  
  
"We can start whenever you're ready, Erika!" Karin called.  
  
Erika nodded and raised her Medawatch. "Okay, Brass. Rapid fire won't work, so you'll have to try a Hammer Fist."  
  
Brass nodded and charged forward, fists raised.  
  
Erika crossed her fingers.  
  
But it became clear after the first few Hammer Fists that Neutranurse's shield (Karin jokingly called it the Waiting Room Wall, but Erika didn't think it was funny at all) wasn't weakening.  
  
"Try something else!" Karin suggested in what she thought was a helpful manner.  
  
Erika frowned. There was nothing else…except…  
  
"Brass?"  
  
Brass paused and lowered her fists. "You sound uncertain, Miss Erika."  
  
"I am. We're going to try…it. The…the K.O.D."  
  
"Whatever you say," Brass replied evenly.  
  
A moment later, the K.O.D. appeared over Brass's right arm, dropping it to the ground like a ton of rocks.  
  
Karin looked amused. "I wonder what they're going to do with that?"  
  
Erika spoke quietly into her Medawatch. "Okay, Brass. This will sound crazy, but I need you to lift that thing. I don't even think that shield can stand up to the sheer weight of it."  
  
"Yes, Miss Erika." Brass grunted and slowly dragged the K.O.D. over to Neutranurse, leaving a trail of upturned dirt behind her.  
  
Erika's Medawatch beeped in alarm. "Warning: Right Arm, 10% Damaged."  
  
"C'mon, Brass," Erika whispered. "I know you can do this…"  
  
Brass slowly hoisted up the K.O.D., then brought it down in what was definitely a very effective Hammer Fist.  
  
The shield didn't vanish, but it flickered.  
  
Karin looked at her Medawatch in surprise. "30% damaged? That's more than I thought it would be. Maybe Uncle Aki didn't fix the shield so well…"  
  
Erika looked pleased. "Do you think you can do it again?"  
  
Brass grunted, but nothing happened. "I don't think so. At least, not as high as before."  
  
That gave Erika an idea. "Hey, Brass. Can you shoot with that thing on?"  
  
Brass looked down. Sure enough, her barrels weren't blocked. The K.O.D. seemed to have three passage just for them…only she couldn't remember them being there earlier. "In theory."  
  
"If you kneel and shoot while propping it up, maybe you can break through. But it might damage your arms and legs…"  
  
"I'll try," Brass replied at once. Dropping to one knee, she carefully propped the K.O.D. up with one hand, resting her elbow on her knee. Groaning with effort, she took aim and fired. The sound was more like a shotgun than Brass's normal gunfire.  
  
"Warning: Left Arm, 15% Damaged. Legs, 20% Damaged."  
  
Erika looked up from her Medawatch…to see that Neutranurse's shield was flickering more than ever now. "It worked? It worked! Keep it up, Brass! Try rapid fire now!"  
  
This time it was more like a machine gun going off.  
  
The shield held for almost a whole minute, and then Neutranurse collapsed under the strain.  
  
Erika instantly recalled the K.O.D. and rushed over to Brass. "Are you okay?"  
  
Brass nodded. "Just…very tired…"  
  
Erika gave her a big hug. "I'm so proud of you, Brass! You really did it!"  
  
Karin came over and patted Brass on the shoulder. "That was very impressive, Brass!"  
  
"You're…not mad?" Erika asked.  
  
Karin giggled. "Why would I be mad, silly? I came here to help you train, and that's what I did!"  
  
"That's true," Brass said slowly. "But…I damaged Neutranurse."  
  
"Oh, don't worry. She'll be back on her feet in a few minutes, and then she'll fix you up, too."  
  
"In the meantime, tell me more about Henry's store never closing," Erika said.  
  
"It was the strangest thing," Karin murmured. "He was talking to me, and all of a sudden, he got this blank look on his face. Then he said he had to redecorate before any customers got there and asked me to leave."  
  
"Henry kicked YOU out?"  
  
"He asked nicely, so of course I agreed!"  
  
"Of course…"  
  
"He seemed really tired at first, too. Like he hadn't slept much. And I noticed a cast on his leg, but he couldn't remember how he broke it."  
  
Erika suddenly remembered how the Phantom Gentleman had threatened to sue her for dropping the K.O.D. on his foot. "Broken, huh? Interesting…"  
  
"I even signed the cast for him," Karin continued, oblivious to Erika's reaction, "and he rushed off to redecorate right after that. I do hope he's feeling better…"  
  
"Let's go over and see," Erika suggested at once. "How he is, I mean."  
  
"That's a great idea, Erika!" Karin chirped, beaming at her. She patted Erika's arm fondly. "You're so smart!"  
  
Erika sweatdropped. "Um…yeah. Let's just go. Maybe we'll run into Ikki, too."  
  
Karin let out a little giggle at the thought.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Ikki understandably did not want to be caught without his shirt. It was fairly hot, but that had nothing to do with it. He wasn't what anyone would call muscular, and he could only keep darting behind Metabee for so long.  
  
"Y'know, this would be a LOT faster if you didn't keep stopping me," Metabee pointed out.  
  
"Well, YOU don't have to worry about your shirt being snatched off, now do you?!"  
  
"Well, YOU'RE my Medafighter, and you NEVER let me wear your clothes!"  
  
Ikki shot him an exasperated look. "They wouldn't even FIT you!"  
  
"Yeah, I know. But you could at least ASK!"  
  
"Medabots don't wear clothes!"  
  
"Oh, just because YOU wanna walk around half-naked…"  
  
"I do NOT! SOMEBODY SNATCHED MY SHIRT OFF!"  
  
"In an attempt to save your life," Metabee countered. "And you might want to hide again, since Erika and Karin are headed this way…"  
  
Ikki dove behind Metabee just as Erika spotted him. "Metabee!" she called, waving.  
  
Metabee waved back, chuckling at the thought of how much fun he was about have at his Medafighter's expense.  
  
Erika and Karin walked over, accompanied (as usual) by Brass and Nuetranurse.  
  
"Hey, where's Ikki?" Erika asked.  
  
"Oh, he's around," Metabee replied. "So, what are you ladies up to?"  
  
"We're going to Henry's," Karin responded brightly.  
  
Metabee instantly forgot about having any fun. "What?! NO! You can't!"  
  
"Why not?" Erik asked slowly.  
  
"Well, I'll put it like this. THIS is all that's left of Ikki's shirt after we barely escaped from there with our lives!" Metabee showed them the remnants of Ikki's shirt.  
  
Erika looked horrified. "Ikki…no…"  
  
Karin was too shocked to speak.  
  
"Where is he?!" Erika demanded, grabbing Metabee. "WHERE'S IKKI?!"  
  
"He went home to get another shirt," Metabee replied casually.  
  
Erika paused, her cheeks turning bright red as she released him. "Oh. So…he's okay?"  
  
"You could say that." Metabee was peering at Erika a bit more closely now. "Anyway, STAY AWAY FROM HENRY! Ikki's gonna call the cops as soon as he gets home."  
  
"Is he really dangerous?" Karin asked.  
  
"We think…no, we're pretty sure…that Henry's a cannibal."  
  
Karin shrieked in fear. "And I signed his CAST!!!"  
  
Metabee gave her a blank look.  
  
"He could've been planning to EAT me right then!"  
  
"Then why would he kick you out?" Erika asked.  
  
"Maybe he doesn't have a sweet tooth," Ikki muttered sullenly.  
  
"Well, I guess Henry just doesn't have a sweet tooth," Metabee said, ignoring the indignant sputter from behind him.  
  
Karin giggled. "Oh, Metabee, you're making me blush!"  
  
Metabee almost laughed with her, except he noticed the LOOK Brass was giving him. "Well, I'd better get home. Ikki's probably scared stiff without me…"  
  
There was another sputter that was quickly muffled. Brass seemed to notice it, but no one else did.  
  
"Thanks for warning us, Metabee," Erika said. "We'll be sure to tell everyone else."  
  
Metabee nodded. "No problem, girls." He watched them walk off (Brass made a noticeable effort NOT to look at him when she passed) before whispering, "It's safe to come out, Ikki."  
  
"You are SO dead, Metabee!" Ikki shouted.  
  
"You can't kill me! You need me to Robattle!"  
  
"Not until the World Robattle Tournament, anyway."  
  
"You WISH. You name one week when you weren't forced to Robattle!"  
  
"…okay, maybe you've got a point. But you WILL pay for that, Metabee! You know how I feel about Karin!"  
  
"Maybe Karin's not the one you should be worried about."  
  
Ikki turned bright red. "I have NO idea what you're talking about!" he insisted. "C'mon, before somebody else comes along…"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Continued in Chapter 3: Knuckling Up!  
  
Erika runs into yet another member of the growing Phantom Family, the Phantom Stranger! Meanwhile, Ikki & Metabee come up with a plan to bring Henry to justice…too bad it doesn't work. 


	4. C3: Knuckling Up!

Notes:  This chapter will provide more info on the K.O.D's abilities, as well as Henry's Theme o' the Day.  Sorry, but Brass won't be in another Robattle until next chapter.  But there will be one in at LEAST every other chapter after that, I promise.  Maybe.  J

Something else important to realize: Brass is NOT Metabee.  To my knowledge, she has no rare medal to speak of, and if I have anything to say about it, she won't ever use the Medaforce.  So she has the mysterious Knuckle of Doom to help her out.  And despite not being Metabee, she will take much the same path, in that she'll face the same opponents…but not in the same order, or under the same circumstances.  As a perfect example, Metabee was able to defeat Peppercat in his second official Robattle (not to mention TWO Medabots at once in his first).  Brass can't do that.  At least, not without some help.  But keep in mind, Brass has had SOME training prior to this story.  She's defended Erika (and once even turned on her) with fairly impressive results.  So while she's not really a rookie, she doesn't have tons of experience like Metabee.  That will change…  

Summary: Erika meets the Phantom Stranger, and Henry goes through another weird change.

Brass and the Knuckle…OF DOOM!

Chapter 3: Knuckling Up!

Erika and Brass both stared at the Knuckle of Doom.

"Well, it doesn't look dangerous.  Just really, really heavy.  But I guess that's what makes it so effective."

"My rapid shots have never had that much impact before," Brass pointed out.  "I think we should keep using it."

Erika looked doubtful.  "Yeah, but you still have trouble lifting it.  How do we decrease the weight?"

"I think…the Phantom Gentleman was right," Brass murmured, sweatdropping a bit.  "I have to get used to the weight."

"You may have a point, Brass.  Since you have to move quickly in a Robattle, we have to figure out how you can run with that thing."

Brass laughed weakly.  "Shouldn't we try WALKING with it first?"

"Huh?  Oh, sure."  Erika blinked.  "But we can only do it for so long.  Since Karin isn't around today, Neutranurse won't be here to heal you, and the K.O.D. will gradually drain the strength out of your arm."

"Perhaps I could be of assistance," said a voice in her ear.

Erika turned, not entirely surprised to see a blue mask staring her in the face.  "You would be?"

"The Phantom Stranger, at your service!" said the masked man, taking a bow.  He was dressed exactly like the Phantom Renegade, save for the swirling spiral lines drawn into his eyes. 

Erika looked bored, as if strange men popped up in her yard on a daily basis.  "How can you help us?"

"First, it's very clear that neither of you is a science whiz.  Your problem is you expend too much energy trying to move the gauntlet.  Your focus should be on moving the Medabot."

"How do you figure that?" Erika asked.

"Simple, really.  In your case, the Medabot moves in an opposing direction of the gauntlet.  But if you move them together in the same direction, you get even more speed."

"But Brass can barely lift the thing!"

"Then allow the gauntlet to lift itself," Phantom Stranger replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

Erika shot him an exasperated look, then turned to Brass.  "Well, try jumping with it."

Brass stared at her Medafighter for a long moment before realizing that she WAS serious.  Suppressing a sigh, she carefully put on the K.O.D.

"Now, you have to move the K.O.D. up, too, so act like it's an uppercut."

Brass nodded and prepared to spring, poised for an uppercut.

At first, Erika thought the K.O.D. would drag Brass back down before she got anywhere.  But just as Brass left the ground, she grunted with effort and slung the K.O.D. upward, her pink eyes widening in shock as the momentum carried the gauntlet (and her) several feet higher in the air than she'd been aiming for.

Then the K.O.D.'s trajectory suddenly curved, and Brass hit the ground fist-first with a terrific crash.

"Warning: Right Arm, 7% Damaged," reported Erika's Medawatch.

Brass slowly got up and shook her head.  "What just happened?"

"We just figured out a shortcut to weightlifting, that's what," Erika replied.  "And once you've got this down, we'll try moving it horizontally."

Phantom Stranger cleared his throat rather loudly.

"Okay, YOU helped, too.  Thanks, and now you can leave."

Looking a bit hurt, Phantom Stranger shuffled away.

"That wasn't very nice, Miss Erika," Brass noted.

"I'm just getting a little sick of these costumed clowns.  Especially after what almost happened to Ikki.  I haven't even seen him since we talked to Metabee yesterday…"

Brass could sense that Erika was worried about her friend.  "Couldn't we cut training short to visit him?"

"I guess.  And we could even call it scouting an opponent."

Brass decided not to point out that Erika probably knew the way Ikki and Metabee Robattled better than anyone.  She had nearly all their public battles on tape, after all.

* * * * *

Ikki was currently sitting in the front of a police cruiser.  He'd only come along to make sure that the police didn't hurt Henry when they arrested him.  Or maybe it was to keep Henry from biting anyone.  Either way, Henry was still his friend, cannibal or not, and the least Ikki could do was see him off to jail…strange as that sounded.

The police captain signaled to the other officers, then raised the megaphone to his lips.  "We know you're in there, Henry!  Come out with your hands up, and we won't have to hurt you!"

Without warning, there was a high-pitched karate yell, followed by a loud THUD on top of the captain's cruiser.

Ikki looked up just in time to see the captain being yanked up and out of sight, and soon there was another, heaving THUD on the roof.  He sweatdropped and suddenly wished he'd brought Metabee along.

Suddenly, a maniacal voice rang out from the stolen megaphone.

"I am the horror that defies anything right!  I am the deranged kickboxer in the twisted gym of justice!  I am…KARAZEE KARATE KAMIKAZE!  HIIIIIIIIIII-YAAA!!!"

Ikki sweatdropped again as the captain went flying off the roof and hit the ground hard.  "This is just not my week," he murmured.

There was a blur of white and black as the Store Clerk Formerly Known As Henry threw himself at the police in a flurry of kicks and punches.

Ikki snuck out of the cruiser and made a run for it.  He hadn't gotten far when there was a yell from somewhere above him.  

"WO-CHAAAAAAAAAAT!!!"

Ikki spun around and looked up to see the S.C.F.K.A.H. headed straight for him at an incredible speed.  Strangely enough, he wore a black mask that looked distinctly like the Phantom Renegade's, only painted…and recently so, as was apparent by the black smudges on his white karate outfit.  His attacking hand was aimed straight at Ikki's forehead.

Ikki closed his eyes and covered his head with his hands.

"JUDO CHOOOOOAAAAAAAOOOOOOOWWWW!!!"

Ikki risked a peek…and laughed in disbelief.  

Metabee had appeared at the last possible second, and the Judo Chop had come down on HIS head…which was, obviously, a bit harder than Ikki's, and much more painful for the Kamikaze.

"Metabee, you're a lifesaver!" Ikki cheered.

"We can talk about that after we RUN!"  Metabee grabbed Ikki (by the arm this time) and took off.

The Kamikaze darted back inside the Hopmart and locked the doors.

"Oh no!  He got away!" Ikki moaned.  "That means we have to do this all over again tomorrow!"

"At least he wasn't trying to eat you today," Metabee pointed out.

"He was trying to KILL me!"

"Well…your shirt's okay…"

"YOU ARE NOT GOING TO WEAR MY SHIRT!!!"

"If THAT'S your attitude, maybe next time I can just let him finish you off so I can inherit the shirt."

Ikki glared at his Medabot.  "If I die, my clothes are going to Salty, and YOU don't go to the World Robattle Tournament!"

"WHAT?!  You'll be DEAD!  How're you gonna stop me from the grave?!"

Ikki smirked.  "As if Mom would even let you stay in the house if you let me die.  Anyway, Medabots aren't allowed to fight without a Medafighter in the championships."

Metabee snorted.  "As if I couldn't get another.  I'm the number three-ranked Medabot in Japan!"

"No, you're PARTNER to the number three-ranked Medafighter in Japan!  There's a HUGE difference!"

"Yeah, I SHOULD be number one, but YOU'RE holding me back!  How else could we beat Giganko and STILL not be the best?"

Ikki's left eyebrow twitched.  "I'm just gonna pretend I didn't hear that, Metabee."

Metabee crossed his arms over his chest.  "Now I'm all fired up!  Man!"

Ikki smiled  a bit.  "So…wanna get into a Robattle…?"  
  


Metabee calmed down a little.  "We might as well get some practice before we try to get Henry tomorrow…"

The number three-ranked Meda-Team in Japan grinned at each other before hurrying off to find their next real challenge.  Little did they know, it was just a few blocks away, looking for them…but not quite for the same reason.

* * * * *

Erika sighed and came to a stop.  "We've been looking for hours, Brass.  I'm starting to think Ikki's hiding from us."

Brass stopped beside her Medafighter.  "Maybe he went to visit Karin?  She does live pretty far away."

"Yeah, but then his mother would've known about it.  Something's weird, Brass."

Brass scratched her head.  "If you say so, Miss Erika."

Erika started to walk again, then froze.  "B-Brass…" she gasped softly.

"What?  What did I say?"

"You….you….YOU'RE SCRATCHING YOUR HEAD WITH THE K.O.D.!!!"

Brass sweatdropped and immediately dropped the hand wearing the K.O.D.  "I'm sorry, Miss Erika!  I know it's meant to be treated with respect, but-"

"NO, Brass!  You don't get it!  When we started out today, you could barely LIFT that thing!  Now, just hours later, you're acting like it was one of your original Medaparts!"

Brass looked down at the K.O.D. in awe.  "I…I don't even feel it anymore…"

Erika nearly knocked Brass over in her excitement.  "Brass!!!  You're the best Sailor Multi—NO, the best MEDABOT!—ever assembled!"

Brass blushed.  "Miss Erika…"

"You ARE!  And we're going to prove it to everyone!"  Erika raised a fist in the air.  "One Robattle at a time, we're going to take Japan by storm!  Then the World Robattle Tournament!  And then…then…"

"Ikki and Metabee?" Brass asked, blushing still.

Erika gave her an odd look, but there was a definite hint of pink in her cheeks.  "Uh…let's just find them first, Brass.  And remember, they can't know we're training!"

Brass nodded and followed Erika down the street, glancing at the K.O.D. every few seconds.  It was hard to imagine it ever being a part of Eldersaur.  In fact, it looked nothing like Eldersaur.  Even the ugly green color was now a bright, forest green that went nicely with the rest of her Medaparts.

* * * * *

"…and THEN, Brass just BROKE right through Neutranurse's Waiting Room Wall, Uncle Aki!  It was…AMAZING!"

Dr. Aki rubbed his chin thoughtfully.  "So, Erika and Brass are training, huh?  This could be interesting…"  His once stylish shades flashed in anticipation, even as his niece rambled on about Erika and Brass.  "I wonder…could those two have the same potential as Ikki & Metabee?  Maybe they could become…even greater…"

Karin actually paused in the middle of her rant, something she'd never done to date.  "What are you thinking, Uncle Aki?"

Dr. Aki grinned.  "I'm thinking it's time we sponsored another citywide Robattle Tournament.  As in next week.  Only…it'd be a lot of work, in so little time…"

Karin beamed.  "Not to worry, Uncle Aki!  I have a secret weapon!"

Dr. Aki paused.  "You blackmailed some high-ranking official in the Medabot Corporation?"  He suddenly became nervous.  "It's not me, is it…?"

Karin giggled.  "No, silly.  My phone!"  She whipped out her cellphone and began to dial.

Dr. Aki sweatdropped.  "Who could she possibly be calling?"

* * * * *

Space Medafighter X began his famous (or perhaps infamous, depending on who you asked) posedown.  "Arcbeetle!  It's time for the True Power of the Sun!  The Pillar of Fire!  The Prom-"

*BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP!*

Space Medafighter X sweatdropped and tripped, landing flat on his facemask.  "Gah!  My posing!  Ruined…!"

Koji laughed nervously.  "Sorry, SMX.  It's my emergency line."  He answered the phone.  "Hello?"

SMX slowly picked himself up off the ground, groaning in disappointment.

"Maybe next time, boss," Arcbeetle said, trying to sound comforting (although the effect was ruined by the huge sweatdrop on the back of his head).

Koji's face lit up.  "Karin?!  What a lovely surprise!"

Sumilladon sighed in a here-we-go-again sort of way and wandered off to do something more interesting than watch his Medafighter become putty in a certain rich girl's hands.

"What's that?  Really?"  Koji sounded hesitant.  "I don't know.  You're sure?"  His eyes widened.  "My own tournament?  I can…DO that…?"

SMX looked slightly interested then.

"You're right!  I AM the number two-ranked Medafighter in Japan!  I CAN do this!  In fact, I WILL!"  He paused and grinned.  "Well, of COURSE you're invited, dearest!  YOU can have a seat of honor next to me, and we'll—oh, FINE, Ikki can come, too!  Yeah, he can bring Metabee…Erika & Brass…Rintaro…  Yes, you'll all have good seats.  Okay…bye…"

SMX cleared his throat as Koji hung up.

Koji looked up.  "Well…looks like I'll be hosting my very own Robattle Tournament a week from tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, just for people who didn't make the Top 20.  The winner will have the honor of having their picture taken with me.  Karin's idea, really, but I could use the exposure.  I'll have it on the school grounds, so there'll be enough room and everything."

SMX looked thoughtful.  "Part of being a good Medafighter is making public appearances…even if you're not going to Robattle.  But in that case, I'd better teach you EVERY pose I know!"

Koji sweatdropped.  "Um…you really don't have to…"

"Nonsense!  How else will you impress the public and the media?"

"Well…there are the multi-acre grounds themselves…the amusement park…the lake…the new island resort for advanced students…the Olympic-sized pool…the arcade…"

SMX coughed rudely.  "Yes, yes, but none of THAT will earn you a front page cover story!  What you need is a pose that says, 'I AM THE NUMBER TWO-RANKED MEDAFIGHTER IN ALL OF JAPAN!'  Now, let's get started!"

Koji yawned loudly.  "Oh, look at the TIME!  I'd better get to bed!  Tournament to prepare for and all."  He quickly ran from the room.

SMX frowned.  "Kids these days.  No respect for the tried, true art of posedowns."

Arcbeetle sweatdropped, glad that he didn't have to pose, as he was shiny and pointy enough to attract attention on his own.

* * * * *

Continued in Chapter 4: Way of the Knuckle

Erika & Brass take on all comers in preparation for Koji's Tournament, while Karin recruits her Rinty-Poo to help lure Henry out of the Hopmart.


	5. C4: Way of the Knuckle

Notes:  I dunno WHAT that thing in Shrimplips's mouth is, but I assume it's a pacifier/radio transmitter of some sort.  And soon the story will take something of a dark turn.  Nothing TOO bad, everything's still PG-13.  But I am warning you!

Summary: Erika & Brass take on all comers in preparation for Koji's Tournament, while Karin recruits her Rinty-Poo to help lure Henry out of the Hopmart.  Plus Rokusho!

Brass and the Knuckle…OF DOOM!

Chapter 4: Way of the Knuckle

"Good morning, Erika!" chirped a sweet voice.

Erika opened one bleary eye and sighed.  "Karin, you can't keep DOING this."

"Wake up, sleepyhead!  You've got training to do!"

Erika opened the other eye.  "And how do you know that?"

"Well, how else will you be ready for Koji's Tournament next week?"

"Koji's…what?"

Neutranurse held up a flyer.  "Everyone's going to be there!"

Erika snatched the flyer.  "Why didn't I hear about this sooner?!"

"Koji just came up with the idea yesterday," Karin replied, sharing a knowing wink with Neutranurse.

Erika scratched her head.  "It looks interesting enough…but there's no way I'm in the same league as Koji…"

"Oh, he's only hosting," Neutranurse assured her.  "He specifically designed it for neighborhood kids."

"Ikki will be there…" Karin murmured, beaming.  "Imagine the look on his face if a certain reporter beat everyone else in Koji's Tournament."

Erika thought about it.  Ikki would probably never be able to lift his jaw again.  "Okay, I'm in!"

"Great!"  Karin gave her a big hug.  "Now, you go train.  I've got some things to take care of!"

* * * * *

Ikki hadn't really wanted to go.  But it was the perfect chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at Koji's Tournament (he didn't care for the way everyone was capitalizing it), and Koji HAD invited him to come a few days early in the first place.  He certainly didn't want Koji to think he was intimidated (Metabee had insisted on going after hearing THAT) or afraid. 

And the stretch limo that Koji sent to get them hadn't hurt at all, either.  Ikki & and Metabeee didn't really LIKE the way Koji was throwing his money around…but as long as he was throwing it at THEM, well, that was just fine and dandy.

"NOW I really feel like the number three Medabot in Japan," Metabee sighed, stretching out across the seat.  "About time SOMEBODY started spoiling us, right, Ikki?"

"I could get used to it," Ikki replied through a mouthful of ice cream.  "Pass the cherries, please."

A half hour later, the limo pulled up to Koji's school (one of the many acres of it, anyway).

There were at least ten Robattle rings spread out over the grass, from what Ikki could see.  They seemed larger than regulation ones, too, but that would probably make the Robattles last longer.

"Whoa," Metabee said, clearly in awe.  "Koji's going all out.  You'd think he was number one or something."

"He probably is, in his mind," Ikki muttered.

"That's hardly fair, insulting someone when they're not there to defend their name," said a voice above them.

Ikki looked up in shock, spotting a familiar Medabot in the tree just in front of them.  "Rokusho?  What are you doing here?"

Rokusho leaped easily to the ground, his cloak flapping behind him.  "I have reason to believe that something will happen in Koji's Tournament.  Something…bad."

"Is it the Rubberobos again?!" Metabee asked, already looking pumped.

"More than likely," Rokusho replied.  "We should all be on our guard."

"Looks like I'll get to do some Metabee-bopping after all!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Metabee.  If there's one thing the Rubberobo Gang is good at, it's acquiring powerful Medabots to Robattle with.  If you have to approach them at all, you should do so with more caution."

"News flash, Rokusho!  There's only two Medabots ranked higher than Ikki and me, and not for long!"

Rokusho's red eyes flashed.  "I seem to recall having a victory over you myself.  And we never had our rematch…"

"Then let's get Meda-busy!" Metabee cried at once.

"Save your strength, my friend," Rokusho advised.  "You'd do well to remember how the Rubberobos take advantage of weakened Medabots.  Espeically those with rare medals like your own."

"He's got a point, Metabee," Ikki added.  "We need to be on top of our game for whatever's really going on in this tournament.  Speaking of which, we should really find out if Koji's noticed anything strange lately."

"You mean like someone naming a tournament after him?"

Ikki rolled his eyes.  "I'm pretty sure he had SOMETHING to do with that.  Right, Rokusho?"

But when they turned around, Rokusho was already gone.

"Dude.  We have GOT to start keeping a closer eye on that guy," Metabee muttered.

* * * * *

"Dr. Bok Choy!  Textbook Punch!" the Student Council President shouted.

Erika grinned.  She'd been expecting that.  "Just let him make the first mistake, Brass!" she said into her Medawatch.

Brass had every intention of waiting for the punch, just liked they'd planned.  But then, for some reason, she realized that Dr. Bok Choy probably didn't weigh very much.  

Dr. Bok Choy's punch came in high, but it sailed right over Brass's head…and with good reason, since Brass had long since ducked.  

Erika was about to order Brass to hit her opponent with an uppercut.  But just as she began to say the words, there was a loud CRUNCH!  She looked up to see that Brass was rising to her feet.  Dr. Bok Choy was lying on his back, clearly out of commission.

"Function ceased!" Mr. Referee shouted.  "The winner is…Brass!"

Erika blinked…and then gasped in surprise as she was mobbed by the crowd.

"That was great, Erika!"

"I've never seen a Medabot MOVE like that!"

"Can she lift ANY Medabot?!"

"Lift?" Erika murmured to herself.

"Yeah!" cried one of the spectators.  "I've never seen a Sailor Multi type power slam another Medabot!"

"Power slam?!?!"  Erika looked at Brass…who was staring at the K.O.D. as if it were a second head.  "Brass doesn't know how to power slam…unless…it…"

"Hey!  Robattle me next, Erika!"

"No, me!"

"I want a turn!"

Erika sweatdropped.  "Well, at least we don't have to look very far for challengers…"

Just then, Erika spotted a familiar dust cloud in the distance, speeding towards them.  Wisely, she got out of the way as it roared past, heading towards the Hopmart.

  
Brass watched the dust cloud.  "Is that who I think it is?"

"Yup," Erika confirmed.  "Looks like the Ikki's clone is back in town.  But what's he up to?  And why didn't he want to Robattle?!"

* * * * *

Karin smiled as the dust cloud skidded to a stop in front of the Hopmart.  "There you are, Rinty-Poo!"

Rintaro emerged from the cloud, panting heavily.  "Sorry I'm late, Karin!  What's up?"

Karin beamed at him.  "I just need you to put this on and walk past the store."  She held up a pair of blue shorts.

Rintaro sweatdropped.  "Those…kinda look like Ikki's, dudette."

"Oh, they are!" Karin replied sweetly.

"Well…how did you…?"

Karin just giggled and held out the shorts.  "Go on!"

Somewhat reluctantly, Rintaro put on the shorts.

"Oh, and bring out Kantaroth!  That'll work even better!"

"Uh…if you say so, Karin.  Transport Medabot!"

Kantaroth appeared a moment later.  "Yo," he rumbled in his deep voice.

Karin clapped her hands in glee.  "This will work great!"

Kantaroth was a little disappointed that they weren't going to Robattle, but like his Medafighter, was very interested in pleasing Karin (or maybe Neutranurse).

They'd barely begun to approach the door when it exploded outward, bringing shards of glass and metal with it.

A masked figure with a red bandana around his head walked out, strapped with guns, knives, and ammo.  He pointed twin machine guns at Rintaro.  "Hey, yo.  Dis one's for Adrian, ya see?"

Suddenly, a gray KBT type Medabot that was just as loaded as his Medafighter appeared as well.  "Wrong movie, boss," he whispered.

"Who…are you, dudes?" Rintaro asked, trying to stall.

"Dis here's Warbot Apollo, and I'm…RAMBOCKY!!!"  He hoisted his guns up.  "Dis one's for you, Adrian!!!"

"RUN!!!" Rintaro shouted, grabbing Karin and zooming down the street.

"Yo, ADRIIIIIIIAN!!!" Rambocky shouted as he peppered the street with bullets.

Warbot Apollo sighed and sweatdropped.

"Bag 'em up, Kantaroth!" Rintaro yelled into his Medawatch.

Kantaroth charged, guns blazing.  "Paper, plastic, or bodybag?!" he shouted.

"BEAT 'EM!" Rambocky ordered, pushing Warbot into the line of fire.

"No, boss!  I'm strapped with--!"

There was a HUGE explosion, in which most of the Hopmart was destroyed. 

Warbot emerged from the smoke, damaged and sooty black.  "Like I was saying, YOU strapped me with a ton of explosives!!!"

"Guess I win," Kantaroth said slowly, before pointing his laser cannons at the two.  "Surrender!"

"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE US ALIVE, CHARLIE!!!" Rambocky screamed.  He pulled out a grenade.

"GET OUTTA THERE, DUDE!" Rintaro shouted.

"Way ahead of you!"  Kantaroth was already running for cover.

"TAKE THIS, SCUMBAG!!!"  Rambocky threw the grenade.

"DUDE!  RUN!!!"

"He'll never make it!" Karin cried, hiding her face in her hands.

There was a second HUGE explosion (though not as big this time).

When the smoke cleared, Kantaroth was revealed, totally unharmed, thanks to Neutranurse's Waiting Room Wall.  With a weary sigh, she fainted into Kantaroth's arms, exhausted.

Kantaroth flashed a victory sign.  "Dude.  The hero ALWAYS gets the girl."

"DUDE!  YOU ROCK!"  Rintaro slapped him on the back.

Karin pouted.  "But he got away again!"

Indeed, Rambocky and Warbot Apollo were gone.  But as far as Rintaro and Kantaroth were concerned, that was GOOD thing.  Neither of them seemed to recall just then that the world-famous Phantom Medafighter (a.k.a. Henri, who was reportedly from the same town!) was the only other person for miles around with a KBT type Medabot…

* * * * *

"And THIS is where we'll be sitting," Koji said, gesturing to a raised platform.  "I'll have the best seat, of course, it being MY Tournament and all…"

Ikki sighed and rolled his eyes.  An excellent, unbiased tour guide Koji was definitely not.  Especially when it was his stuff he got to show off.  He almost envied Metabee, who'd spotted Arcbeetle and run off to compare Robattle records.

"So, still training with Space Medafighter X?" Ikki interrupted.

Koji's eyes narrowed in suspicion.  "Yes.  What about it?"

"Don't you ever worry that he's holding you back?  That he's not telling you everything he knows?"

Koji smirked.  "I KNOW he is.  If he told me everything, not only would he be a fool, I'd be BETTER than him.  If you were training Erika, would you tell HER everything?"

Ikki paused to consider that.  It had been a while since he'd seen Erika and Brass.  Strange that they hadn't been following him around lately…but then, he hadn't really done anything newsworthy.  That was probably it.  They were off on another "big" story, no doubt.

"Well?" Koji asked.

"You've got a point.  But Erika's too busy being a reporter, anyway."

Koji shrugged.  "Too bad.  If she took Robattling a little more seriously, Brass could be as good as Metabee."

"What's THAT supposed to mean?!" Ikki cried, whirling on him.

Koji frowned.  "You heard me.  It's not all about rare medals, you know.  You think I got to be number two by depending on Sumilidon having a rare medal?  Just because YOU got here on a mile-long lucky streak doesn't mean everyone else did.  Some of us actually have to WORK at being the best.  But then, maybe that's why I'm number two and you're not…"

"You just better be glad you're only hosting the tournament," Ikki growled.  "Because if you weren't, me and Metabee would pound you two into the dirt!  AGAIN!  The score's two to one, pal!"

"For now," Koji replied before walking off.

Ikki glared at his back.

"Hey, Ikki!  Check this out!"

Ikki turned to see Metabee and Arcbeetle doing…something.  "Uh…what ARE you doing?" he asked, feeling a sweatdrop at the back of his head.

"Working on our Medaforce poses!  What do you think of this one?"  
  


"I think you've spent WAY too much time around Space Medafighter X's Medabot…"  
  


* * * * *

Samurai's sword clanged loudly against the K.O.D. as he and Brass locked up again.

"You're pretty talented…for a whippersnapper," the elder Medabot grunted.

Brass blushed a bit.  "Thank you, sir.  You're quite good yourself."

"What's that shyness for, young lady?  After all, I'm not Metabee…"

At this, Brass let out a giggle…and ducked as Samurai's sword sailed over her head.  "Hey!"

Samurai chuckled.  "Gotta learn to keep your guard up, young one.  In Robattles and in life."

Brass drove the K.O.D. into ground, causing a mini-earthquake.  When Samurai lost his balance, she leaped forward and bashed him in the chest, knocking him over.  "You should take your own advice, elder," she said with a slight bow.

"Function ceased!  The winner is…Brass!" Mr. Referee announced.

Brass was instantly hug-tackled by Erika.  

"You're AMAZING, Brass!!!  You've won every Robattle today, and you haven't even stopped for a break!"

Brass blushed.  "I can't take all the credit, Erika.  The K.O.D. has been…guiding me."

Erika gave her Medabot a funny look.  "What do you mean?"

"Well, sometimes I can feel it…suggesting what to do next.  Every time I think of a good move, it thinks of an even better one that does two or three times as much damage."

"You could never cause earthquakes before," Erika murmured.  "I'd say it's definitely helping us."  She laughed.  "To think we got this from ELDERSAUR!"

"HEY!" Samurai shouted, getting up angrily.  "I resent that!"

"Oh, not YOU," Erika sighed, sweatdropping.  "Some weird Medabot that we Robattled the other day."

"YOU?!  In an actual submission Robattle?!  Don't make me laugh!"

Erika didn't turn towards the voice, already knowing who it belonged to.  "If I wanted you to laugh, I'd point out Spike's Robattle record."

"Hey!  She can't talk about me like that!  Right, boss?"

"QUIET!"  Samantha sneered at Erika's back.  "We'll see how tough you are in Koji's Tournament…that is, assuming you even make it past the first round!"

Erika smirked.  "Why don't you ask anyone here who's going to win?"

"Erika rocks!"

"Brass is da Medabot, baby!"

"ALL HAIL THE UNSTOPPABLE MIGHT OF THE K.O.D.!"

Everyone paused to stare at the Phantom Gentleman, who had suddenly appeared in their midst (thankfully, without his Medabot).  

He chuckled and raised a fist uncertainly.  "Uh…go, girls?"

"GO, GIRLS!" shouted the crowd.

Samantha ignored them.  "Well, we'll see how long your fifteen minutes of fame last.  My Peppercat's gonna pull the plug on your sorry Sailor Multi, and then you can interview me on how I ended your Robattling career."

Erika watched the Screws march away.  "Brass, I don't care if we don't win the tournament.  But we HAVE to beat HER!"

"Agreed," Brass said, her pink eyes glowing with rage.  

* * * * *

"What do you mean, I can't leave?!" Ikki cried.

Koji crossed his arms and stuck out his chin defiantly.  "All plans for my Tournament are top secret.  I can't have you going around blabbing to everyone so they know what to expect."

Ikki glared at him.  "I am NOT staying here until your stupid tournament!"

"Yes, you ARE.  I have security guards all over the place with specific instructions not to let anyone in or out as of ten minutes ago.  Even I can't go anywhere."

"This is kidnapping!  My mom will call the police!"

Koji smirked.  "Oh, I really don't think so."

Ikii turned to see a helicopter landing a few yards away.  The first person that stepped out was, surprisingly, his mother.

"Hi, Ikki!" she called, waving.

Ikki sweatdropped as he waved back.  "You kidnapped my mom, too?!"

Koji grinned.  "No.  I put her in charge of refreshments."

"Y'know, that's actually not a bad idea," Metabee said.  "Remember how the Rubberobos went nuts over her soup?"

Ikki pouted.  "I don't care if we ARE number three.  We saved the WORLD!  I deserve better treatment than this!"

"Talk to me when you're number two," Koji replied before walking off.

"This is SO unfair.  What are we supposed to do until the tournament?!"

Metabee stared at his Medafighter.  "Uh…Ikki?  Did you NOT see the amusement park on the way in?"

* * * * *

Erika spread out all her newly-won Medaparts on the table.  "We made a good haul today, Brass.  Just think of the great Medaparts we'll bring home from Koji's Tournament!"

"My circuits are sparking with anticipation, Miss Erika."

Erika smiled.  "And just wait until Metabee sees you trash Peppercat."

Brass blushed and was about to answer when…  "Miss Erika!  The K.O.D.!  It's…glowing!"

"Is it…saying anything?" Erika asked.

Brass closed her eyes.  "It can sense that the Tournament is approaching.  It wants to fight."

"Anything else?"

When Brass opened her eyes, they were green—just like Metabee's.  _"You will be rescued by a tall, dark stranger."_

"BRASS?!"

Brass blinked, the pink color returning to her eyes.  "Did I say something just now?"

"Uh…yeah, but I have no idea what it means."  Erika frowned.  "Well, that was odd."

"Should I take it off?" Brass asked.

"I don't know, Brass.  The K.O.D. hasn't steered us wrong yet.  Maybe it's trying to warn us about the Tournament?"

"But why would we need to be rescued, Erika?"

"Who knows?  But if we're gonna be in some kinda trouble, we should get back to training.  Just in case."

* * * * *

Shrimplips carefully adjusted his pacifier.  "Shrimplips to Sharkfin.  Do you read me, Sharkfin?"

"I'm here," replied a dark and sinister voice on the other end.

"Good.  Is everything going according to plan?"

"Yes.  Koji's beefed up security, but he has no idea what we have in store for the winner of his little tournament."

"Excellent.  And Rokusho?"

"He's been…dealt with." 

"I like your style, Sharkfin.  You're cruel and calculating…and a good actor, too."

"I owe it all to the little people."

"Uh…yeah, sure.  What about Ikki and Space Medafighter X?  We can't have ANY of the Top Three interfering!"

"It's all taken care of, Shrimplips.  I'm not a baby, you know."

"I resent that remark!"

"No, you resemble it.  I'll call you once I have the winner's medal.  Sharkfin out."

Shrimplips chuckled evilly.  "He reminds me of myself, when I was a new recruit of the Rubberobos.  The Leader will be most pleased with his progress…"

* * * * *

Continued in Chapter 5: Bloody Knuckles (Betrayed!)

Who is the mysterious Sharkfin, and what does he have in store for the Tournament Winner?  Can Erika & Brass defeat Samantha & Peppercat?  And can they flush out a traitor before it's too late?


	6. C5: Bloody Knuckles (Betrayed!)

Notes:  Prepare for a twist.  That is, unless you're cleverer than me (which is very possible, as I suck at mysteries) and already know or suspect who Sharkfin is (even more possible, since there aren't too many suspects).  But I'm pretty sure you'll be surprised at least once.  Anyway, enjoy!

Summary: Erika & Brass turn heads in Koji's Tournament, but there's a nasty shock in store for the winning Medafighter…

Brass and the Knuckle…OF DOOM!

Chapter 5: Bloody Knuckles (Betrayed!)

Koji stepped up the platform and calmed down the crowd.  "Thank you, one and all, for coming out to what promises to be the single BEST Robattle competition this city has ever seen!"

"Which remains to be seen," Ikki muttered under his breath.

Koji ignored him.  "Now, without further ado, let the games begi—"

"WAAAAAIT!" wailed a particularly annoying—and familiar—voice.

The crowd turned to see a pitiful excuse for a Medafighter stumble onto the grounds—loudly, and very obviously, ten minutes late.

It was Spike.

Koji frowned.  "I'm sorry, but you can't participate.  Anyone who doesn't think enough of Robattling to show up on time won't be in THIS competition."

"PLEASE!" Spike begged.  "My alarm didn't go off!  Right, Krosserdog?!"

"Actually, Boss," Krosserdog began, "you slept through it, and—"

"ENOUGH!" Koji shouted.  "Get OUT!"

"Don't send us away!  We'll do anything!!!"

"Even if I did let you in, who would want to Robattle you two?!"

"We would," said a voice from the crowd.

Spike turned, gaped, and gasped.  "YOU!"

Brass looked somewhat cross.  "My name is Brass, thank you.  And I would be a little more respectful to someone who may be your last chance to enter this tournament."

Erika looked surprised for a moment, before nodding in agreement.  "Sure, we'll Robattle them."

Koji looked insulted.  "I'm STILL not giving them an official slot in the rankings."

Erika shrugged.  "You want them gone, they'll be gone…after we beat them.  And you don't have to give him a slot.  He's one of the Screws, right?"

At this, Samantha ducked down, determined not to be recognized.

"So he can face us with Sloan and Totalizer.  It won't make a difference to Brass and me."

Koji was mildly interested now.  "A two on one Robattle?  Are you sure, Erika?"

Erika sulked.  "Don't insult my Medabot by implying she can't beat these two losers.  And when she does, we move up two places in the standings.  Is it a deal?"

A bit surprisingly, Koji nodded.  "Fine.  You'll Robattle first.  IF you win, you move up two spots."

"WHEN we win," Erika corrected, patting Brass's shoulder confidently.

Ikki frowned.  "What's Erika thinking, taking on two of the Screws at once?"

"I'd say she's thinking Brass can wipe the floor with them," Metabee replied.

"You think she can?" Ikki asked.

"Well, I'll say this.  We've Robattled the best.  Spike and Sloan are definitely NOT the best.  But Brass better watch her back, anyway."

* * * * *

"Medafighters ready?"

Spike, Sloan, and Erika nodded.

"Medabots, Rooobattle!"

"Just do whatever you want, Brass," Erika said into her Medawatch.  "Consider this match practice for the real Tournament."

Brass nodded and waited for the first attack.

Krosserdog and Totalizer fired together with a volley of bullets and lasers, respectively.

Brass merely raised the K.O.D., and all the shots bounced off it harmlessly.

Spike's jaw dropped.  "How…how'd she do that?!"

Sloan growled.  "Doesn't matter.  Totalizer, charge her!"

"You, too, Krosserdog!" Spike added, unable to think of anything else.

Brass ran to meet the two Medabots, stretching out her arms just before she reached them.

There was a loud CLANG!, followed by the Screws' Medabots flying into the air from the impact, the victims of a perfect double clothesline.

Brass stopped and raised the K.O.D. into the air, drawing a bead on the two fading shapes instantly.  Without even bothering to steady her aim, she fired off two shots.  "Sailor Shot!"

There were twin explosions in midair, followed by Krosserdog and Totalizer slamming into the ground, clearly out of the competition.

"Function ceased!" Mr. Referee shouted.  "The winner is…BRASS!"

A huge cheer went up as Brass and Erika high-fived.

Samantha was, not surprisingly, nowhere to be found.

"Wow," Ikki murmured.  "That was pretty good."

"No kidding," Metabee agreed, sounding impressed and surprised at once.

Koji smirked.  "Only the best in my Tournament."

* * * * *

The Tournament progressed quickly, and soon the qualifying round was over.

"Congratulations to all those who have made it this far," Koji said to the remaining Medafighters.  "Welcome to the second round."  Then he smirked.  "Well, except for Erika & Brass, who are already in the third round, eagerly awaiting their next opponent.  So, whoever wins their second round Robattle in the shortest amount of time will have the honor of challenging them.  Now, let the second round Robattles begin!"

Koji showed Erika & Brass to the Honor Box (he'd named it himself) where the others were waiting.

"That was a great Robattle, Erika!" Karin cheered, giving her a hug.

Erika waved a hand dismissively.  "That was just a warm-up for Brass.  You wait until she gets serious."

"Well, it was still…something," Ikki disagreed, a strange look on his face.  "I haven't seen you around much lately, Erika, but it looks like you've been training…"

"We have," Erika replied, not sure how to decipher the look.  "Brass is a lot tougher than when you last saw her in action, Ikki."

"Dudette, you rocked!" Rintaro shouted excitedly.  "Can I have your autograph?!"

"AFTER we win the Tournament, Rintaro," Erika promised with a smile.  "Right, Brass?"

"Right!" Brass agreed at once.

"Confidence is good medicine," Space Medafighter X said in a know-it-all tone.  "But only in healthy doses.  Take too much and you'll get a tummy ache…in the form of an opponent who exposes your ego as a weaknesses."

Erika sweatdropped.  "Um…we'll keep that in mind."

Metabee said nothing.  He was seeing Brass in a whole new light…a light that didn't look half bad on her, when he thought about it.

Rokusho said nothing as well, but for an entirely different reason.  He was staring at Brass's arm, and had a haunting feeling that he'd seen her new attachment somewhere before…

* * * * *

When the Tournament standings were posted after the second round, Erika & Brass were the first in line to see them.  According to the roster, their opponent in the semi-finals was someone named Miranda…with an unknown Medabot.

"How does someone get an unknown Medabot?" Brass asked.

"The answer to that is usually a bad one," Erika replied.  "But I can't shake the feeling that I know that name from somewhere.  Do you recognize it, Brass?"

"No, Erika," Brass said.  "But if no one in the Tournament has identified her Medabot yet, maybe it's a new one?"

"Probably.  I don't think anyone could do so well with a homemade Medabot.  And if they had the fastest time, we better watch ourselves with her, Brass.  There's no way we're going down now."

"Especially when Samantha & Peppercat are still going strong," Brass added, nodding at the standings.  "They had the second fastest time."

"They finally took second place at something."  Erika grinned.  "They better get used to it."

* * * * *

As it turned out, Erika & Brass DID know Miranda.  At least, very briefly.  She was one of the Ankle Biters that Erika had interviewed after they whooped up on Spike and his old Cyandog…a feeling that Erika could relate to, now.

Apparently, though, she'd separated from then and was Robattling solo, because her two pint-sized partners were nowhere to be found…and neither was her Medabot.

Miranda wasn't worried, though.  In fact, she looked very confident, and with good reason.

Erika was confident as well, but wary.  Spike had only managed to defeat Churleybear out of sheer, dumb luck.  She wasn't going to count on that this time.  Although she was a bit confused as to why no one had recognized Churleybear…

"Prepare to taste the titanic terror…of TeleTeddy!" Miranda cackled, pushing her Medawatch.  "Transport Medabot!"

All at once, the sky grew dark, and thunder rumbled ominously.

In a blue flash of light, TeleTeddy appeared, his red eyes glowing menacingly.

Erika knew right away that this was one Medabot that had never appeared in the catalogue.  She knew that book inside and out, and the only thing that came close was Churleybear….but this was clearly no Churleybear—at least, not anymore.

Where Churleybear had looked like a red, stuffed teddy bear, TeleTeddy looked like a black, rabid grizzly.  The cannons that served as his arms had almost doubled in size, and his aim was probably better as well.  Even worse, his legs, which had one been all but useless limbs, were now thick and muscular.

This would not be an easy win…but Erika was determined that it would BE a win all the same.

"Medabots…Rooobattle!"

"Teddy, Thrash Attack!" Miranda shouted.

With unbelievable speed, TeleTeddy suddenly appeared in front of Brass and sent her flying with his right paw.

Erika gasped.  "That's impossible!  Even Rokusho isn't that fast!!!"

"Tell HIM that!" Brass cried, ducking as TeleTeddy swung at her again.

"Just keep moving and try to pin him down!" Erika ordered.  "He may be fast, but you're tougher, Brass!"

Brass leaped high into the air, quickly drawing a bead on TeleTeddy.  But every shot either sailed wide or bounced off the bear completely.

Miranda laughed evilly. "You can't stop my Teddy; he's invincible!  Blue!"

TeleTeddy fired his gravity beam at once.

Brass shuddered as she was encased in blue light, then hit the ground with a terrific crash.

TeleTeddy leaped on her and began to pound away with his heavy paws.

"Warning: Body 30% damaged!  Head 45% damaged!" Erika's Medawatch beeped.

"You've gotta use the gravity against him, Brass!  HURRY!"

Brass pointed the K.O.D. at the ground and fired.

TeleTeddy roared in surprise as Brass went sailing into him, sending them both to the ground hard.

"Red!" Miranda yelled.

TeleTeddy fired his anti-gravity beam, and Brass went soaring into the sky.  She jerked unsteadily for a moment, then slammed into the ground before she was yanked right back into the air, only to repeat the process again and again.

"Brass, no!" Erika cried, beginning to think that this had been a mistake.

Miranda cackled again.  "Time to take them down!  Teddy, Bearific Body Slam!"

Brass froze in midair, and TeleTeddy roared as he leaped at her.

"NOOO!" Erika shrieked.  "BRASS!!!"

The K.O.D. suddenly came to life and began to glow bright green.

TeleTeddy's tremendous bulk crashed into Brass just as she shoved the K.O.D. into his chest and fired.

The two Medabots hurtled toward the ground, even as Brass continued to fire and TeleTeddy grunted in at least mild discomfort from each shot

The very instant Brass hit the ground with TeleTeddy on top of her, his back bulged…and then was torn apart by a beam of angry green power.

Miranda's eyes grew wide.  "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY TEDDY?!" she screamed.

Brass weakly shoved TeleTeddy away and made it to one knee.

"Brass…" Erika whispered, not even registering the tears trickling down her face.  Then she gasped.  "LOOK OUT!"

Brass spun around, only to find that TeleTeddy was up again, and the huge hole in his chest was quickly resealing itself.

"He's got a regenerator!" Ikki shouted from the Honor Box.

Erika looked down at her Medawatch and froze.  For some reason, the little power Brass had left was all being directed to the K.O.D.  The rest was going to her legs, and would probably be enough for one final charge.

Miranda must've had the same idea, because TeleTeddy snorted and pawed the dirt, his eyes flashing.

"Finish them, Teddy!  Both arms at once!"

TeleTeddy charged, both arms pulsing with red and blue light as he gradually brought them forward.

"Brass, you can't let those beams hit you!"

Brass charged as well, the K.O.D. glowing brightly as she wound up her arm for one last punch.

"FIRE!" Miranda ordered.

Just as TeleTeddy trained his arms on Brass, the K.O.D. slammed into them, shoving the cannons under his chin.

THOOM!

Brass was knocked back by the blast, but managed to remain standing by digging her heels into the ground.

When the smoke cleared, TeleTeddy was revealed as little more than a smoking wreck.

"Function ceased!  The winner is…BRASS!"

Brass sank to her knees, clearly exhausted.

In the Honor Box, Rokusho watched the K.O.D. with narrowed eyes as the weapon flashed one last time, then faded back to forest green.

* * * * *

"That was some win, Erika," Ikki said, staring at her in awe.

Erika's cheeks reddened slightly under his gaze.  "Well, Brass is some Medabot," she replied, patting Brass's arm affectionately.  "Feeling any better, Brass?"

"Much better, thanks to Nuetranurse," Brass replied.

Karin beamed.  "Anything for a friend!"

"I'd like to know where Miranda got that Medabot," Metabee said.  "The only people who ever have unknown Metabots are the Rubberobos."

"You're being silly, Metabee," Erika disagreed.  "Miranda's a little strange, but she's also a little kid.  Everyone that gives us a challenge is not automatically with the Rubberobos.  And remember, Dr. Aki told us that the Medabot Corporation licenses other companies to make Metabots.  Maybe she got hers from one of them."

"Yeah.  Rubberobo Incorporated," Metabeee muttered.

"Instead of focusing on an opponent you've already defeated, you should pay more attention to the one you will defeat.  That is, if you still plan on winning this tournament," Space Medafighter X said.

"Samantha," Erika growled.  "She's going down for insulting me and my Brass!"

"Any advice, Metabee?" Brass asked.

Metabee cleared his throat importantly.  "If all else fails, you just give Peppercat a Metabee-bop…uh…I mean, a Brass-bopping!"

Brass giggled.  "Will do!"

* * * * *

"Welcome to the finals of my glorious Tournament!" Koji shouted.  "The winner of this Robattle will be crowned Tournament Champion, and receive a special prize from the man behind all Metabots, Dr. Aki!"

"Is that true?" Ikki whispered to Karin.

She nodded, smiling.  "Uncle Aki donated a top secret project from his lab for the winner.  It's supposed to be really cool!"

"What kind of prize?!" Metabee demanded.

Karin giggled.  "Wait and see, silly!"

"But don't YOU know?" Ikki pressed.

"Of course not!" Kari replied.  "It's top secret, remember?"

"Dude, they're starting!!" Rintaro shouted excitedly.

* * * * *

"Medafighters ready?" Mr. Referee asked.

"HOLD IT!" Samantha shouted.

"One Medafighter…not ready…?"

"I refuse to Robattle this…this…LOSER!"

"WHAT?!" Erika yelled.

"She's not even in my league!  There's no way I'm going to waste my time on her when the top three Medafighters in Japan are sitting right there!" she growled, pointing to the Honor Box.

Erika trembled with rage as Samantha turned her back.  "Why you….arrogant…"

"That's right!  I'm not gonna Robattle this loser," Samantha continued, taking off her Medawatch, "but I never said anything about Peppercat…GO!"

Peppercat sprang at Brass, tagging her with a Lightning Jump as she passed overhead.

"CHEATER!" Erika screamed.

"Under Tournament rules, a Medabot must be ready to Robattle at all times," Mr. Referee stated.  "This Robattle has begun!"

By then, Peppercat had hit Brass with two shock attacks.

"Warning!  Legs and both arms immobilized!" Erika's Medawatch announced.

Samanta sneered.  "I told you!  You never stood a chance, Erika.  Now all you can do is watch while Peppercat takes your stupid Sailor Multi down!"

Erika glared at her.  "I don't care if your whole body is immobilized, Brass," she said into her Medawatch.  "You're my Medabot and I believe in you.  You can still skin this cat!"

"Erika…"  

The K.O.D. began to glow bright green on Brass's right arm.

"Activating regeneration!" Erika's Medawatch beeped.  "Right arm restored!"

Peppercat began her final charge, her paws crackling with electrical fire.

"Try a punch before she hits you, Brass!"

Brass cocked her right arm at once.  The green light became almost blinding as she whispered, "Knuckle…of…"

Samantha's eyes widened.

Peppercat yowled and leaped.

"NOW!" Erika shouted.

Brass's arm rocketed forward.  "DOOM!!!"

Peppercat barely had time to yowl in shock as the glowing green fist slammed into her chest, literally knocking the Queen medal right out of her.

"Function ceased!" Mr. Referee declared.  "The winner and new Tournament Champion is…ERIKA'S BRASS!"

"We…we really did it," Erika whispered, breaking out into a smile.  "BRASS!  WE DID IT!"  She ran forward to give her Medabot a big hug.

Brass turned toward her Medafighter, intending to do the same.

Just then, there was a horrible rending of metal and circuits.

Erika froze as a black, robotic hand burst from a startled Brass's chest.  Even before it withdrew roughly, Erika could see a golden flash in between the black fingers.

The pink light faded from Brass's eyes, and she collapsed to the ground, revealing the KBT type Metabot who'd stolen her medal.

It was Kantaroth.

His eyes were crimson, and on his right hand, the very same that now held Brass's medal, was a thick, metal covering of the same color.  Erika noticed at once that it was disturbingly similar to the K.O.D.

"I have the winner's medal!" Kantaroth laughed evilly, hoisting Brass's medal up like a prize.

"NOOO!"

Erika was shocked to realize that it wasn't her voice.

Metabee & Rokusho leaped out of the Honor Box as one, their eyes blazing with fury.

Surprisingly, Kantaroth didn't try to run.  He simply stood there, waiting for them.

Despite Rokusho's legendary speed, Metabee was the first to attack.  "MISSILE LAUNCH!!!"

But, there turned out to be a reason for Rokusho's lack of speed.  Just before Metabee's missiles fired, he turned slightly…and viciously struck Metabee's head with his Chanbara Sword.

The missiles backfired, ceasing Metabee's functions at once.

Erika watched in horror as Rokusho, a Medabot they had all come to trust, kneeled and began to pry the K.O.D. off Brass's arm.  And from the way that Kantaroth was chuckling, it was painfully obvious that they were working together.

"STOP!" an unfamiliar voice shouted.

A black shape fell out of the sky, knocking Rokusho away with a fierce kick as it landed.

Erika was expecting the Phantom Renegade…or maybe Space Medafighter X, who was no longer in the Honor Box.

But the black shape was a Medabot, and an extremely powerful one at that.  The pumped up Belzelga roared in rage and charged, swatting Rokusho down as if he were (no pun intended here) a bug.

Kantaroth backed up, clearly not expecting this.  His eyes flashed dangerously.

The Belzelga finally noticed him, and with another battle cry, leaped at him.

Just then, TeleTeddy appeared briefly between them, before all three rogue Medabots vanished, leaving Belzelga crouching almost protectively over Brass's broken body.

Erika was the first to shake off the disbelief.  She ran forward and cradled Brass's head in her lap, tears spilling down her face.

Ikki slowly walked up to her, unable to say anything at the moment.  Finally, he sank to the ground and wrapped his arms around his best friend, letting her cry on his shoulder.

There was a longer pause before Karin & Nuetranurse ran over.  Karin headed straight for Brass, but Ikki gestured to Metabee.

"But…Ikki, Brass needs-"

"Brass needs her medal," Ikki said firmly.  "Metabee still has his.  Heal him so we can go after those traitors."

Karin stared at him, shocked by his tone, then nodded and helped Nuetranurse pull Metabee to a sitting position.

"You're not going alone," said a kindly female voice.

Ikki looked up to see Ms. Caviar smiling down at him.  "What are you doing here?" he asked suspiciously.

"Dr. Aki couldn't make it, so I flew over to deliver his top secret prize…which is really mine, when you think about it, but that doesn't matter now.  What does matter is that this customized Belzelga should be more than a match for those two."

"Customized?  You mean…HE'S the prize?!"

Ms. Caviar beamed.  "Yes!  Special, Extra Limited Tournament Edition.  And, because you won the Tournament, he's yours, Erika."

Erika sniffled.  "I-I don't want another Medabot!"

"I'm not trying to replace Brass, dear," Ms. Caviar said gently.  "I'm trying to help you get her back.  You'll need another Medabot until then.  Ikki doesn't have the time to learn to control two Medabots at once.  And as a reporter who deals almost exclusively with Medabots, you no doubt know the properties of many medals…including the Devil medal."

Erika realized that this was true.  Even though she'd had to break into a secure server within the Medabot Corporation to get the information, but that was another matter entirely.  News was news.  Slowly, she accepted the black Medawatch that Ms. Caviar gave her. 

Metabee jumped up a moment later, fully operational and still fuming.

Erika slowly stood up with Ikki's help.

The Belzelga looked at her expectantly.

"Karin…look after Brass's body, okay?"

Karin nodded.  "You can count on me, Erika.  Be careful."

Koji stepped forward, looking solemn.  "Good luck.  I'll stay with Karin…in case they come back for the Knuckle of Doom."

"Thanks, Koji."  Erika turned to her new Belzelga.  "Let's go get Brass's medal…Brutal."

The Belzelga bashed its fists together, clearly pleased with its new name.  

"Together," Ikki added.

Erika smiled at him.  "Right."

"Right NOW," Metabee insisted.

* * * * *

Rintaro smiled cruelly as he held Brass's medal up to the light.  "Dudes, we ROCK!"

"So what's next, big brother?" Miranda asked eagerly.

"Next, we take this medal to the boss to see if it's of any use to him.  If not…maybe you can keep it."

"They'll come after us," Rokusho warned.  "Metabee will take this personally."

"Then we'll just have to take him down, baby," Kantaroth laughed.

"Only if TeleTeddy gets to fight this time!" Miranda whined.

TeleTeddy growled in agreement.

"Sure, sis," Rintaro said.  "Teddy can have all the fun he wants.  We don't have to follow the rules anymore."  He tapped his Medwatach.  "Sharkfin reporting in.  We have the medal."

"Good work, Sharkfin," Shrimplips replied.  "I knew you'd do it."

Rintaro smirked.  "No problem, dude.  The Evil Dudes always come through…"

* * * * *

Continued in Chapter 6: Fist of Chaos

The Evil Dudes challenge Erika & Ikki to a REAL submission Robattle…with their medals on the line!  Too bad they're short a Medafighter…or are they?  And why have Rintaro and Miranda gone bad? (or badder in Miranda's case) What about Rokusho??  And what's that doohickey on Kantaroth's hand???


	7. C6: Fist of Chaos

Notes:  When I first started this story, I never intended to take this route.  But it seemed like it was worth a try, and I haven't really heard a lot of complaints about the last chapter.  But we all know Brass is gonna be okay.  Heck, her name's in the title!

I should also point out that I'm basing every OFFICIAL Medabot's (excluding 'bots like TeleTeddy & Brutal) attacks on what I've found at Medabots.com, although some of Brass's have come from the show, most are made up; and nearly all of Brutal's are made up, too.  Oh, and the "rules" and various uses of the Medaforce are mine as well.  So don't expect to see them in other fics…unless someone's copying…   

And I decided to split this chapter, since it was turning out to be really long.

Summary: Don't really feel like doing a proper one, so I'll tease you with some Robattle previews.  Metabee vs. Rokusho!  Metabee, Brutal, & ??? vs. Kantaroth and about a million KBTs! 

Brass and the Knuckle…OF DOOM!

Chapter 6: Fist of Chaos

There was really nothing to do but wait.

It had been nearly two hours since Ikki, Erika, Metabee, and Brutal had gone to rescues Brass's medal, with no word as of yet.  Koji had even grudgingly given Erika his cell phone, in case they needed to call for help.  Karin had thought that was awful nice of him, and Koji just thought that lending his phone to a girl—and a reporter, no less—was just asking for a quadrupled phone bill.  But it wasn't as if he couldn't afford it.  He just hated the thought of spending money on something that wasn't related to Sumilidon, himself, or Karin.

He glanced over at Karin, who was keeping busy by polishing Brass's body until it nearly sparkled in the bright light.  She'd already called her uncle, who was flying in from somewhere to have a look at Brass.  Ms. Caviar had insisted there was no need for it and repaired Brass within an hour, but Dr. Aki was STILL flying in.  Koji suspected he just wanted to get a lot closer to the pudding in the Hopmart, but based on what he'd heard recently, that alone would be a challenge…

"Koji?" Ms. Caviar asked.  "I couldn't help but notice that you seem distracted.  Is something wrong?"

"Well, yes.  This was MY Tournament, and now people are going to think that I can't protect my winners.  No one's ever going to come and compete again if I hold another."

"This is hardly your fault, Koji.  You couldn't have known what would happen."

"I still feel horrible," Koji muttered.  "I mean, if it had been Ikki & Metabee, I could live with that.  But…this was Erika & Brass.  They didn't deserve this.  They were just trying to make a name for themselves.  And if I'd done a better job with the security, maybe they would've…"

Ms. Caviar shook her head.  "You're forgetting that they WON the Tournament.  They didn't need anyone but themselves for that."

"What does it matter if the price for it was Brass's medal?  That's a Pyrrhic victory if I ever heard of one."

"Don't underestimate Ikki & Metabee…or Erika…or my Belzelga.  They just might surprise you."

* * * * *

Brass slowly came to, feeling very sluggish.  "What…what happened?  Where am I?"

The first thing her eyes focused on was Rokusho.  He was sitting at a workbench, making repairs on his right arm.  Then she noticed Kantaroth in the corner.

"Finally awake, are we?" Kantaroth asked, walking over to her.  "If I'd known yanking your medal out would mess you up that bad, I'd have done it a long time ago."

Brass gasped.  "How could you do that to me?  I thought we were friends!"  She turned to Rokusho, quickly making the connection.  "And I expected so much more from you, Rokusho!"

Rokusho glanced up at her, but said nothing.

"Answer me!  You owe me that much!"

"Don't waste your time, little mama," Kantaroth chuckled.  "Rokusho's the type that lets actions speak for him.  But me, I'll be glad to keep you company until the others get back."

"Don't touch me!" Brass cried.

Kantaroth laughed heartily.  "Well, technically speaking, in case you hadn't noticed, that body isn't you!  But since you're gonna be in it for a while, maybe you better get used to it…"

Brass looked down and shrieked in horror.  She had Totalizer's legs, Phoenix's left arm, Multikolor's right arm, and what seemed to be Samurai's head.  To make things worse, none of the parts were functioning save the head, and even that was immobilized.  "What've you done to me?!"

"Just stuck your medal in a new body.  Sorry about the parts, but they were leftovers from some of the Rubberobos we beat in training for the tournament."  He paused.  "But we weren't the only ones training, were we?  Those were some hot moves out there, Brass."

"I'm so glad you're impressed," she snapped acidly.

"Oooh, got a temper on you!  I LIKE that in my women!"

"I would NEVER-!"

"It's time," Rokusho said suddenly, standing up.  

"Seeya later, little mama," Kantaroth said, blowing her a kiss as he left the room.

Had Brass been capable of it, she would've shuddered in rage.  Then she noticed Rokusho was staring at her.  "What do YOU want?"

Rokusho flexed his right arm experimentally.  Apparently satisfied with his repairs, he walked over and simply said, "Target practice," before bringing the Chanbara Sword down on her head.

Brass tried to avoid it, but everything instantly went red, then there was darkness.

* * * * *

Erika was impressed with how well Ikki was handling Brass's kidnapping.  He had surprised her by going straight to the bunny peddler, who'd provided him with the weekly, obligatory advice ("Sometimes what you seek is closer than you think").  Not surprisingly, they'd found a secret tunnel under his mat, which, no doubt, went straight to the Rubberobo's current hideout. (You just didn't question things like that in kids' shows)  In short, Ikki was behaving like a professional private eye.

Metabee, on the other had, was behaving like himself.  A really, REALLY pissed-off version, that is.  If he wasn't muttering about Rokusho and which of his parts he'd Metabee-bop first, he was blaming himself for not getting to Brass in time and beating the Tin Pet out of Kantaroth.  Erika had thought he might take it hard, but not THIS hard.

Brutal was the only real comfort, though.  He was behaving…well, like a loyal dog, more or less.  Erika was beginning to suspect he could only growl, grunt, roar, or make some other sound associated with anger.  But his mere presence (not to mention how intimidating he was by just _walking_) made her feel perfectly safe.  She began to wonder what she'd do with him when she got Brass back.

And they were going to get her back.  If for no other reason than to put Metabee at ease, because he was _really_ starting to worry her.  Finally, Erika reached over and patted his shoulder.  "I miss her, too."

Metabee looked up at her, his face turning a surprising shade of red, and then lowered his head, muttering about Rokusho again.

Ikki glanced back at his Medabot and grinned as they went deeper into the tunnel.

* * * * *

In the charred remains of the Hopmart, something stirred.

A gray KBT type Medabot rose from the rubble, easily tossing the debris aside with incredible strength.  It surveyed the destruction for a moment, then knelt down and pried a thick book loose from the dust.  The words _World's Top Medafighters: Past & Present_ were printed on the binding in gold letters.  With an interested grunt, the Medabot sat down and began to thumb through the pages, becoming totally engrossed in the book.  

Finally, he came across the sole page he remembered.  

PHANTOM MEDAFIGHTER & SPIRIT: RANKED # 1 IN JAPAN, # 3 WORLDWIDE

"Phan-tom…" the Medabot said, almost startled by the sound of his voice.

Slowly, he stood up.  "Spirit," he said, nodding to himself.  "Spirit…lives."  He tucked the book under his arm and walked quickly into the night, with only one goal in mind: to be the best…again. 

* * * * *

"So what do you think, Uncle Aki?" Karin asked.

"Hmm…everything seems to be in order," Dr. Aki replied as he studied Brass's back panel.  "But there is something rather odd about all this."

"Really?  What's that?"

Dr. Aki straightened up importantly.  "According to the wear and tear on her circuitry, Brass has been in some tough Robattles as of late."

"Erika did win my Tournament," Koji pointed out.

"Really?  That's great!  Where is she?!  I'd love to congratulate her!"

Karin smiled.  "Uncle Aki, we already told you.  Erika went with Ikki to get Brass's medal back from the Rubberobos."

"We never actually saw any Rubberobos," Miss Caviar pointed out.  "All we know is that Rintaro & Kantaroth took the medal, and Rukusho, Miranda, and TeleTeddy helped them."

"But who else could they be working for?" Koji asked.  "Everyone that's up to no good around here is connected to the Rubberobos."

"Except the Phantom Renegade," Dr. Aki muttered.

* * * * *

"Okay, here's the plan," Ikki whispered.  "Once we're inside, Metabee & I will keep the Rubberobos busy, while you two look for Brass's medal."

"And smash anyone that gets in our way," Erika added.

Brutal chuckled deeply.

"Um…sure.  Let's go."  Ikki carefully pushed the trapdoor open and boosted Metabee up, then scrambled after him.  Erika stood on Brutal's sturdy shoulders, and the Belzelga merely jumped through after her and closed the trapdoor.

They were inside what seemed to be a storage room with various damaged Medaparts.

"Must be where they throw all their junk parts," Ikki murmured.  "I can hear voices outside, so be ready for anything."

Just then, the door jiggled.  Ikki & Metabee hid in big crate, while Erika & Brutal squeezed behind a bookcase.

The door opened, and two Rubberobos entered.

"Do you really think that Sharkfin can beat Ikki, robo?" one asked.

"You saw what he did to all our Metabots before the tournament, robo."

Suddenly, Ikki leaped out of the crate, grabbed the startled Rubberobos, and slammed their heads together.  They were out cold before they hit the floor.

Erika emerged from her hiding place, a huge sweatdrop rolling down the back of her head.  "Ikki…why did you…?"

He shrugged.  "Always wanted to be able to say I did that once."

"Okay…but how do we ask them where Brass is?"

Ikki sweatdropped.  "I guess I'll just have to keep the next ones conscious."  He froze as Erika bent down and began to unzip one of the Rubberobos.  "ERIKA!!!"

"Do you REALLY think we're going to be able to go anywhere looking like this?!" Erika demanded.

"Oh.  Right."

"Well, I won't, anyway.  If you walked on your knees and widened your eyes a bit, you could probably pass for Rintaro easily."

Ikki scoffed.  "Oh, come on!  You really think the Rubberobos are that dumb?!"

"In a word?  YES!"

"I'm with Erika on this one," Metabee added.  "And since we know they already have Belzelgas, she'll fit right in.  As long as we're moving pretty fast, no one will know I'm not Kantaroth."

"I GUESS it could work," Ikki sighed.  "It just seems so easy."

"We're tricking Rubberobos, Ikki," Erika replied with a smile.  "It's NOT rocket science."

* * * * *

Rintaro sighed and lowered his hand as the dark clouds parted, staring miserably at the medal.  "You heard the boss man.  It's not a rare medal."

"So I can keep it?" Miranda asked excitedly.

"Sure, Randi," Rintaro replied, tossing it to her.  "Better put it back in the junkbot until we can get you some good part to go with it."

"Thanks, big brother!"

Rintaro watched her run off and kicked at the ground.  "I really thought Brass had a rare medal, the way she was picking apart her opponents."

"I told you," Rokusho said quietly.  "Brass's medal wasn't the source of her power.  It was the Knuckle of Doom."

"Well, seeing as how you haven't found us any rare medals recently, I wasn't sure I should listen to you."

"Because rare medals are just that: rare.  If they were that easy to find, everyone would have one."  Rokusho glared at him.  "I'm the only Medabot that can detect a rare medal.  I suggest you keep that in mind the next time you think you see one."

"Whatever, dude.  You should've grabbed the Knuckle when you had the chance."

Rokusho growled.  "That was no normal Belzelga.  It was faster and far stronger than any other I've ever seen."

"Doesn't matter how strong it is.  The next time it shows up, Kantaroth will take it down.  I'll leave Metabee to you."

Rokusho's eyes flashed.  "It'll be a pleasure…"

* * * * *

Erika had gotten deep into the warehouse before she found anything interesting.

She nearly ran right into a round, solidly built Rubberobo.  He seemed somewhat familiar, and Erika was trying to place him when she noticed his Medabot and gasped under her breath.

"What is this, Rubberobo Recruitment Week?!" she hissed to herself.

But the recognition was one-sided, because the Rubberobo that was almost definitely Sloan kept going, his Totalizer following closely.

Erika shook her head and kept going until she reached a small, dark room.  "I wonder what's in here?"

Two pairs of eyes flashed in the darkness.  "Nothing…except your defeat!"

Erika cried out as she and Brutal were pulled into the room by an unseen force. The door slammed shut behind them, locking instantly.

* * * * *

Ikki was amazed at how well Erika's plan was working.  Everyone Rubberobo he met saluted or said something along the lines of, "Nice job at the tournament, dude!"  Rintaro was definitely having a major effect on these people.

All Ikki had to do was order one of them to accompany him to where they were keeping Brass's medal.  The Rubberobo, not realizing that Ikki was walking slightly behind him the whole time, led him straight there.

Only there was no medal in the room as far as Ikki could see, but five Rubberobos of various sizes.

"Weclome, Rintaro & Kantaroth," one of them said in a young, squeaky voice.  "Or should I say goodbye…IKKI & METABEE?!"

"It's Shrimplips!" Ikki cried.

"And that's not all!" Metabee shouted as the other Rubberobos turned around, revealing themselves to be Squidguts, Gillgirl, and Seaslug.

"It's all over now," Seaslug chuckled.  "You're going down!"

"But…I thought you quit the Rubberobos!" Ikki said.  "They…they abandoned you!"

"True," Gillgirl replied.  "But if we'd quit, the boss would've taken away our Medabots, and then we wouldn't be able to say GET THEM!  SEAGURU!  SPIRITUS!"

"GO, WHITESWORD!"

"GO, GOBANKO!"

"GOKUDO!  HAKADO!  SIR GOLD!  DO IT!"

"Ooooooh," Metabee said as the seven Medabots surrounded him.  "Metabee doesn't like these odds…"

"Your only concern is me," said a familiar voice from above.

"ROKUSHO!" Metabee shouted as the lone Medabot dropped in their midst.  "GET OVER HERE SO I CAN GIVE YOU A REAL METABEE-BOPPING!"

Rokusho entered the circle of Medabots and tossed away his cape.  "Ready when you are."

"Fine!" Ikki said.

"Then…it's agreed!" announced an even more familiar voice.  The fifth Rubberobo tore off his black jumpsuit to reveal himself as Mr. Referee.  "I declare this match an official submission Robattle!"

Ikki sweatdropped.  "You're one of them?!"

"No, but black brings out the color of my eyes!  Medafi—uh…Medabots ready?"

Rokusho & Metabee nodded.

"Medabots…Rooobattle!"  
  


With his usual astounding speed, Rokusho charged, landing a glancing blow across Metabee's head with his sword.

"Warning!  Head, 20% damaged!" Ikki's Medawatch beeped.

"You gotta watch out for his sword, Metabee!" Ikki warned.  "Try to pin him down after he charges!"

The words were barely out of Ikki's mouth when Rokusho ran at Metabee again, his sword clanging loudly against Metabee's arm.

"Left arm, 25% damaged!"

"No you don't!" Metabee shouted, aiming for Rokusho's legs.

Rokusho cried out in surprise as his legs were peppered with rapid fire.  Metabee's aim had improved greatly since their last Robattle.

"You're NOT walking away from this one," Metabee swore, his eyes flashing with anger.

"We shall see," Rokusho replied calmly, "who walks away."

"What?!  Oh, now I'm REALLY angry!"

"Good.  Rage clouds the mind.  Yours especially."

"Don't let him get into your head, Metabee!" Ikki called.

Rokusho lowered his sword and relaxed.  "There is something you should know, Metabee.  I've…changed since we last spoke."

"Obviously!  You're working with these losers now!"

"HEY!" Seaslug cried indignantly.

"That's not what I meant."  Rokusho lowered his voice.  "While on my quest to find Dr. Hushi, I didn't find my Medafighter, but I did find out something…about myself."

Metabee paused.  "What?  Really?"

"Yes.  I have reached a deeper understanding of my rare medal…and I now have the ability to detect other rare medals.  It's how we knew you were coming."

"And why you took Brass's medal?!"

"No.  Brass's medal is nothing to me.  I only wanted the-"

"Well, it's EVERYTHING to me!" Metabee shouted in rage, charging at Rokusho.

Rokusho barely had time to get his sword up when Metabee crashed into him.  He managed to grab Metabee's arms just before the barrels were level with his head.  "Stop!  You must listen to me!"

"I've heard all I need to hear!"

"No, you haven't!"  Rokusho's arms trembled with effort; he'd never known Metabee to be this strong.  "I have managed to harness my true potential…the ultimate power of my rare medal.  Now it obeys my will completely.  In short, I CAN CONTROL THE MEDAFORCE!!!"

That got Metabee's attention.  "You're bluffing!"

"Am I?" Rokusho shoved Metabee away.  "Let's find out.  Call upon the Medaforce…if you can."

Metabee stood there, wracking his robotic brain for a way to summon the Medaforce.

"Think of what they did to Brass," Ikki whispered into his Medawatch.  "Think of what they'll do to us if we don't win!"

With a cry of pure rage, Metabee began to glow with a bright green light.

Rokusho chuckled.  "If you're going to use the Medaforce…then so will I!"  A red light appeared around him as he drew back his sword.

"He really can control it," Ikki murmured in awe.

Metabee took aim.  "No more games, Rokusho!  KISS YOUR BOT GOODBYE!"

"FALL BEFORE MY MIGHT!" Rokusho yelled.

"MEDAFORCE!!!" they cried as one.

There was a blinding explosion, followed by twin screams of pain.

When the light faded, both Medabots were revealed: badly damaged, but still standing & functional…but just barely.

"Warning!  All parts 99% damaged!"

Rokusho laughed weakly.  "There's something I failed to tell you, Metabee.  Whenever two opponents use the Medaforce against each other, no matter what their respective levels, all parts are damaged equally.  Which means, for the first time, we'll truly have an equally matched Robattle."

"Guess…there's only one thing left to say, then," Metabee panted.

"And that is?"

Metabee snickered.  "One of us was made for long-range combat," he said, drawing a bead on Rokusho's head with his revolver.  "The other one's you."

Something startlingly close to fear entered Rokusho's red eyes.

"STRETCH PUNCH!"

Metabee howled in pain as Gokudo's fist landed a glancing blow on his chest, knocking him to the floor.

"CHEATERS!" Ikki shrieked.

"I declare this match a no contest!  Cheating is not allowed!" Mr. Referee announced.

Rokusho slowly recovered his cape and turned to leave.

"Get…back here…Rokusho!" Metabee growled weakly.  "We're not done!"

"No," agreed Rokusho as he left the room.  "Far from it."

"You've got bigger problems to worry about!" Gillgirl said as the circle of Medabots tightened around the near powerless Metabee.

Unfortunately, Ikki was forced to agree.

* * * * *

It had been child's play to defeat TeleTeddy with Brutal, Erika realized as she ran.  The Robattle had barely lasted a minute.  The bear had been no match for Brutal's speed and power.  She was beginning to think that no Medabot would.  Maybe not even Metabee.

Brutal had somehow known that Metabee was in trouble before Erika had actually sensed Ikki's anxiety.  Not knowing what else to do, she'd sent Brutal off to find them with strict instructions to defend them until he was no longer able to.

There was still the constant danger that she might be caught again, but after the thrashing Brutal had given TeleTeddy, Erika was hoping that Miranda had told her friends to avoid him and his Medafighter at all costs.  It would definitely aid Erika's search for Brass's medal if she had.

But there was still no sign of Brass's medal, and Erika was starting to fear that they'd stuck it into some horribly powerful Medabot like Robo-Emperor and corrupted it beyond recognition…if such a thing was even possible.

* * * * *

Metabee grunted as he crashed through the wall, landing hard on a workbench that splintered and collapsed beneath his weight.  He would only have a few minutes of rest before Gokudo got bored and came looking for him.

Drawing on what little energy he had left, Metabee rolled over and made it to all fours, only to bump his head on something hard and strangely familiar.  Slowly, he looked up to see a pair of Totalizer legs, attached to a collection of damaged, mismatched parts, which made up what could only be described as a junkbot.  "Man, they roughed me up pretty good, but at least I look better than THIS guy…"

The junkbot shuddered and came to life, its eyes flashing a dull, worn-out green.

Metabee sighed and sat up wearily.  "If only I'd gotten to Kantaroth before he took off with Brass's medal, none of this would've happened.  I'm just glad she isn't here to see me like this…"

The junkbot attempted to reach out and touch his shoulder, but as it was too damaged to move, it gave up and said, "I'm just glad to see you at all, Metabee."

Metabee froze and slowly turned around.  "…BRASS?!"

"I'm afraid so," the junkbot replied sadly.  "They put my medal in here so I couldn't escape."  She brightened considerably.  "But now that you're here-"

"Sorry, Brass.  I did come here to rescue you, but I lost my temper with Rokusho and used the Medaforce.  I've got nothing left, and there's about seven Medabots right outside just waiting to pound us into scrap metal."

"You…you're just…giving up?  That's not like you, Metabee.  And NOW, of all times?!"

"I'm useless to you now," he replied dejectedly.  "I can't even protect you."

"I never asked you to protect me.  And you could never be useless.  Not to me…"

"Brass…"  Metabee started to say something that probably would've been touching and very meaningful, but the effect was ruined by the fact that he was talking to a Samurai head and not Brass's.  "…let's get you out of that thing first."

At that moment, Ikki ducked into the room.  "Metabee!" he whispered.  "Are you okay?  Say something!"

"Over here, Ikki!  I found Brass!"

"Great!  Then let's…"  Ikki caught sight of Brass's current body.  "Um…are you sure Gokudo didn't whack you over the head, Metabee?"

"It's me, Mr. Ikki," Brass said, trying to sound happy to see him despite her ruined state.

"Good enough for me."  Ikki ejected her medal and placed it in his Medawatch.  "Don't worry, Brass.  As soon as we find Erika, we'll get you out of here."

"Oh no…they took Erika, too?!"

"No, she came with us," Ikki explained.  "She's okay, Ms. Caviar gave her a Belzelga in case we ran into Kantaroth & Co., but Metabee's already taken care of Rokusho."

"But who's going to take care of Metabee?  Just a minute ago he was talking about giving up!"

"He did take some heavy hits after the Robattle," Ikki reasoned.  "I think I'd be a little negative, too.  And since we can't control the Medaforce, it's not safe to get into another Robattle too soon."

Metabee remained silent, pondering over Rokusho's words.

"I have managed to harness my true potential…the ultimate power of my rare medal.  Now it obeys my will completely.  In short, I CAN CONTROL THE MEDAFORCE!!!"

Metabee still couldn't control the Medaforce.  It had always responded to a need.  Right now, though, he could barely move, and the Medaforce probably wouldn't be of much use.  Unless, of course, it had other uses…

"Well, can't hurt to try," he reasoned.

Metabee thought about what would happen to Ikki, Erika, Brass, and Brutal if he wasn't able to help them.  The very thought made his missile launchers spark.  

Ikki gaped as Metabee began to glow bright green.  "Metabee…what's happening?"

"I don't know, Ikki…but whatever it is, it feels REAL good."

"It almost looks like the Medaforce, but…it's different."  He checked his Medawatch and laughed.  "Your parts are restoring themselves, Metabee!  Whatever you're doing, keep it up!"

"If I knew what I was doing, I would!"

After a few moments, the light faded.

"I feel GREAT!" Metabee said, flexing his arms.  "It's like I never even Robattled!"

"Glad to hear it," Gokudo answered as he walked in with the other Rubberobo Metabots.  "Because we're nowhere near done with you!"

"Bring it on!"

Suddenly, there was a pair cries from behind Gokudo as Seaguru & Spiritus were struck down by an unseen opponent.  Metabee grasped the opportunity and took out Hakado & Sir Gold with his missiles.

Gokudo & Gobanko dove for cover, then both sprang at Metabee.

A volley of lasers hit them from behind, knocking them both against the wall, where they slumped lifelessly to the floor.

Metabee looked to his rescuer in mild surprise.  "Samurai?  What are you doing here?  And where's Mr. Principal?"

"I'm not the Samurai you know, Metabee," the Medabot replied as he stepped out of the shadows, revealing his hulking Totalizer right arm & head.

"And I'm not the principal," Sloan added as he appeared beside his Medabot.

"SLOAN?!" Ikki & Metabee cried together.  "What are YOU doing here?"

"Saving your butt is what it looks like to me," Sloan replied.  "We can talk about that later.  Right now, you'd better get out before-"

"Too late, dudes!" Rintaro chuckled from behind them.  "Kantaroth's about to bag you up!"

"Word," agreed Kantaroth, flexing in anticipation of the coming Robattle.  "Right on, baby!"

"Stay back, Sloan," Ikki growled.  "This one's ours."

"Got that right," Metabee chimed in.

* * * * *

Rokusho remained perfectly still, perched carefully on a tree branch outside Koji's mansion.

Inside, he could see Koji & Karin talking, but that was unimportant.  

Nearby, he could also see Neutranurse & Sumilidon, but they, too, did not matter.

Brass's body, sparkling and whole, stood against the wall, waiting for the return of its medal.  But even that meant less than nothing to Rokusho.

…except, of course, that the Knuckle of Doom was still on her right arm, shining with power.

Power that Rokusho soon planned to possess as his own…once again.  Permanently.

* * * * *

"Aw, man!" Metabee moaned.  "Nothing works against him!"

"It doesn't make sense," Ikki said.  "He doesn't have a scratch on him!"

"It's the Fist of Chaos that protects him," Sloan added.

"Huh?  What?"

"See that red thing on Kantaroth's hand?  It deflects any attack with some of its own power thrown in.  As long as he has it, you can't hurt him."

"Then how are we supposed to beat him?!" Ikki cried.

"It only works if your attacks hit it.  If you can manage to hit some other part of him, you'll stand a chance.  But it won't be easy."

"Nothing ever is," Metabee replied.  "Let's do it, Ikki!"

"Right!  Since he's expecting you to shoot, get in close and take him out!"

Rintaro laughed.  "You'll never get the chance!  Kantaroth, fire!"

"Yo!"  Kantaroth aimed his repeaters and let fly.

Metabee laughed as he dodged and weaved between the shots.  "Your guard's way up, but your aim's not!  Take THIS!"  He hit Kantaroth with a huge uppercut.

"No way, dude!" Rintaro shouted.

"Face it, Rintaro," Ikki said.  "Nobody beats the power of Metabee's rare medal!"

Rintaro smirked.  "Maybe nobody…but how about…nobodies?!  Dudes, get 'em!"

Instantly, hundreds of KBTs poured into room, old and new, all colors of the rainbow.

"Meet my new crew, dudes!"

"This…could be bad," Metabee said slowly.

"We're right behind you!" Sloan said as his Samurai stepped up.

Ikki sweatdropped.  "Thanks, guys, but we're still pretty outnumbered…"

"I've got a plan."  Sloan lowered his voice.  "You have Metabee take out as many as he can with missiles.  While he's recharging, he'll just use his revolver, and I'll have Samurai attack with lasers.  Then while he's recharging, Metabee will attack with missiles again, and we'll keep them off you with our armor."

"That might be crazy enough to work," Ikki replied.  "But what if one of you doesn't recharge fast enough?"

At that moment, several KBTs went flying headlong out of the way as a black figure emerged beneath them, growling in rage.

"Hey, it's Brutal!" Metabee shouted, for once glad of the help.

Ikki froze.  "But…if he's here…then Erika…"

"The faster we get done here, the faster we find her!" Metabee interrupted.

Ikki nodded.  "Right!  Think you can help us out of this mess, Brutal?"

Brutal snorted and bashed his fists together anxiously.

The three Medabots came together, ready to fight their way out.  Ikki & Sloan glanced at each other, nodded, and shouted, "ATTACK!"

* * * * *

"It really was nice of you to let us stay at your house, Koji," Karin said, smiling.

"Nonsense, my darling!  Erika asked us both to look after Brass's parts, and what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't protect you and Neutranurse?"

"Not a very good one?" Sumilidon guessed.

Neutranurse stifled a giggle under her hand.

Koji frowned slightly, then shook his head.  "Anyway, with Space Medafighter X missing again, I'm the only one around that's qualified to protect you."

Karin seemed worried.  "Do you really think someone might try to attack us?"

Koji puffed out his chest.  "They'd probably know better than to test the might of the second-best Medafighter in Japan!"

Karin sighed softly.  "I hope Ikki's okay.  I know he's number three and all, but I can't help worrying…"

Koji sweatdropped.  "No need to worry about HIM."  He sniffed indignantly.  "HE doesn't even have a mansion…"

"I just can't believe my little Rinty-Poo would DO something like that," Karin murmured sadly.  "He used to be…such a good boy…"  She buried her face in her hands, crying softly.

Koji felt a tug at his heart as hurried over to comfort his beloved.  But before he could get there, three things happened at once.

Sumilidon spun around and leaped at his Medafighter, shouting, "GET DOWN!"

The window directly behind Koji shattered into a million pieces.

Something sharp and solid whizzed past Koji's head, leaving a small cut on his temple.

Koji landed hard with Sumilidon on top of him.  Even though the air was knocked out of him, the sight that next met his eyes took even more of his breath away.

Rokusho rose slowly from the floor, his cape riddled with glass splinters.  There was the slightest hint of red on his Chanbara sword, and it seemed to match his eyes perfectly.  The crimson orbs scanned the room for a moment, pausing on Sumilidon, Neutranurse, and then stopping on Brass's body.  He towards it with purpose, only to have Sumilidon leap into his path.

"Stay where you are!" Sumilidon growled.

Rokusho's eyes flashed dangerously.  "Give me the Knuckle of Doom…or be destroyed!"

Karin gasped and backed away from the Medabots, even as Neutranurse stood protectively in front of her.

"You can't have it!" Koji spat.  "It's not yours!"

"But it is," Rokusho answered, "and it will be again!  Nothing will keep me from possessing it!  NOTHING!"

Something in Rokusho's voice bothered Koji, but he tried not to let it show.  In any case, he knew he couldn't afford to take the threat lightly.  "If you want it, you'll have to go through us!"

"Right!" Sumilidon agreed.

"So be it," Rokusho whispered.  "Prepare to bear witness of the true power of the rare medal!  MEDAFORCE!!!"

A familiar green glow surrounded Rokusho's body, but he made no move to attack with it.  Instead, it seemed to be solidifying into a new kind of armor.

Koji stared at the Medabot, uncertain of what he was doing, but knowing it couldn't be good.  Still, Erika was counting on him, and more importantly, so was Karin.  He glanced briefly at her, hoping she understood, and turned back to Rokusho.  "Let's do it!"

Rokusho roared and leaped, his sword poised to strike.

* * * * *

Continued in Chapter 7: The Hunter's Hand

Metabee, Samurai, and Brutal take on Rintaro's KBTs with surprising results.  Erika & Brass are reunited.  Sumilidon battles Rokusho…and one will never be the same.  Karin flees with the Knuckle, but she can only outrun Rokusho for so long…


	8. C7: The Hunter's Hand

Notes:  I know I haven't explained why Rokusho, Rintaro, and Sloan are acting the way they are, but I'll get to it, I promise.  It's called suspense, people. J

On the Medaforce: Each Medabot has TWO Medaforce colors.  With Metabee, he's surrounded by a green glow, there's a golden glow around his feet, and he fires a golden beam.  With Rokusho, he glows blue (I think), but throws a red beam.  I'm assuming one color is defensive, while the other is offensive.  Sorry for the confusion.

Warning: I'm gonna start messing with the whole Henry/Hikaru thing next chapter.  Be afraid.

Summary: A Medabot sacrifices himself for the team.  A warrior falls.  Rokusho closes in on his prize… 

Brass and the Knuckle…OF DOOM!

Chapter 7: The Hunter's Hand

Erika was torn.  She'd had no luck at all finding Brass's medal, and her first instinct was to go back and find Brutal.  By now, he'd met up with Ikki & Metabee.  She knew Ikki well enough to know he'd Robattle better if he wasn't worrying about her.  And when it came right down to it, Brass wouldn't consider her medal worth either of their lives.

There was no other option.

Luckily, Brutal's Medawatch was very advanced, and even had a built-in tracker.  Within minutes, Erika had traced the signal to the room they started off in.  From the sounds inside, there was an intense battle going on, and she wondered briefly who was winning.  Pushing the thought from her head, she worked up her courage and slipped inside.

"Hit 'em with everything you got, Metabee!" Ikki was shouting.

"Take THIS!" Metabee yelled.  Twin missiles fired from his head and slammed into a huge army of KBTs, several of them being blown to bits.

"Sloan, cover us!"

"Do it, Samurai!" Sloan ordered.

To Erika's amazement, the Medabot that stepped in front of Metabee was not Totalizer.  Not totally, anyway.  The right arm and head were the same, but everything else was a Samurai part.

Four laserbeams flew from Samurai's right arm, taking out a line of KBTs, with bullets bouncing off his armor all the while.

Suddenly, Erika saw something black and blurry fly into the KBTs, tossing many of them aside like rag dolls.  "Brutal?" she whispered.

There was a short pause, and then something growled, almost happily, "RIKAAA!!!"

More KBTs were sent flying, and then Brutal burst into view, virtually untouched from the battle (save for the tiny bits of KBT embedded in his fists).  He ran straight up to Erika, waiting for instructions.

"Um…good work," Erika said slowly, sweatdropping.  "Keep it up…?"

Brutal nodded rapidly and threw himself back at the opposing Medabots.  Erika was glad to see that several of them looked afraid and tried to get out of the way.  Not that it helped all that much.

By then, Ikki & Sloan had noticed her, thanks to Brutal's shout.

Ikki flashed her a thumb's up, then turned to his Medabot, "Okay, Metabee.  Time to wrap this up!"

"I couldn't agree more!"  A green light surrounded Metabee, and he chuckled confidently.  "Dude.  I rock."

"Power up, Samurai!" Sloan commanded.

Samurai grunted and thrust his sword into the air, sending all his power into it.

Something bright red caught Erika's attention, and she was shocked to find that it was coming from Brutal.  He was glowing like a hot poker, and all the KBTs backed up, waiting to see what he'd do next.

"MEDAFORCE!!!" Metabee shouted, golden fire bursting from his revolvers.

"MASTER STRIKE!!!" Samurai yelled, lashing with his sword as a bright green energy wave flew from the blade.

The KBTs were enveloped in explosions, but when the smoke cleared, there were still about twenty left.

Then Brutal growled, "SHADOW FORCE!!!"

The room was plunged into immediate darkness, and when the light returned, all the KBTs were down.

Rintaro gaped from where he'd been standing.  "NO WAY, DUDE!"

"Way," Metabee replied.

"Grrr…it's not over!"  Rintaro raised his Medawatch.  "B Squad, GO!"

"Oh yeah, baby!" Kantaroth chuckled as a long panel in the wall slid open, revealing an army of Belzelgas.  "Beat that!"

Ikki paled.  "This is too much.  He'll just keep bringing more until they beat us!"

Erika felt a tug on her arm, and looked down to see Brutal standing there.  "What is it?"

"Rika…go."

Erika's eyes widened.  "What?!  But we can't LEAVE you here, Brutal!"

"Rika….GO."

"You're nuts!" Metabee cried.  "Even if it is you, how long do you think you'll last against the next group he's got hidden somewhere?!  Or the next?  Or the one after that?!"

"Everyone, listen to him!  He's trying to save us!"

Erika froze and stared at Ikki's Medawatch.  "Brass…?" she whispered, choking up.

"We have to go, Erika!  We might not get another chance!"

Brutal pushed Erika toward the boys.  "Go, Rika," he said one last time, before turning back to face the advancing army.

"He's right," Ikki said, grabbing Erika's hand and pulling her after him.  "Let's move, Metabee!"

Sloan hurried after them, but Samurai paused and looked at Brutal.  "You fight with honor.  I can't help you…but maybe this can."  He tossed his sword.

Brutal caught it, but when he looked again, Samurai had vanished.  

Rintaro laughed.  "You don't stand a chance, dude!"

"Right on, baby," Kantaroth agreed.

Brutal growled and raised the sword.  "SHADOW STRIKE!"

Rintaro's eyes widened.  "DUDE, RUN!"  He leaped for the nearest door, with Kantaroth right behind him.

The sword came down, and the floor opened up beneath them.  The Belzelgas and Brutal vanished into the darkness, falling to their doom.

* * * * *

Koji could not recall ever hating the Medaforce more.

Rokusho's new blue-tinted armor was invincible…for now.

With a smirk, he raised his Medawatch.  "It's time, Sumilidon!"

Battle-wearied but still strong, Sumilidon vanished from sight.

Rokusho froze in mid-strike, then cried out as he was struck from behind.  His blue armor faded from sight.  "NO!  What have you done to me?!

"Just took your Medaforce away, that's all," Koji replied.  "Such is the power of the Shadow Sword!"

Rokusho turned, shocked to find that Sumilidon stood over him, his claws glowing with power…blue-tinted power.  "THIEF!  YOU STOLE MY MEDAFORCE!!!"

"You want it?" Sumilidon asked.  "Take it!"  He sank his claws into Rokusho's chest and tore it open, revealing complex circuitry and gyros.

Rokusho stumbled back, trying to cover his wound.  "You'll pay for this!"

"Not likely."  Koji's face darkened.  "Sumilidon.  TAKE HIM OUT!"

Sumilidon paused in disbelief at his Medafighter's order, then shoved his hand into Rokusho's chest.

"NO!  YOU CAN"T!" Rokusho screamed.

"Do to him…what they did to Brass," Koji whispered, knowing he'd crossed a thin line.  "Take his medal."

Sumilidon moved to obey…and began to scream in pain as something black sprang up his arm and surrounded his body, resembling lightning more than anything else.

"Sumilidon!" Koji cried in alarm.

Rokusho suddenly began to laugh evilly.  "FOOL!  NO ONE CAN TAKE MY MEDAL!"

Koji checked his Medawatch.  All of Sumilidon's parts had been drained of their power.

After an endless moment, Sumilidon's legs gave out, and he sank to the floor before Rokusho.

Rokusho chuckled.  "Now…let me show you, Sumilidon….HOW TO TAKE A MEDAL!"

Koji's voice died in his throat as Rokusho tore Sumilidon's hand from his chest, then turned it on its owner.  There was a wrenching and ripping of metal, and then Rokusho hoisted up Sumildon's fist, which now held his Kuwagata medal.  

Rokusho threw the arm to the ground and raised his foot.  "Pathetic.  Even Metabee was able to walk away from our Robattle.  Or, at least, crawl."  With that, he stamped on the fist.

"NO!" Koji wailed, throwing himself at Rokusho.

Rokusho backhanded him, sending Koji flying into the wall, where he slid to the ground.  He turned, only to find that Karin and Neutranurse were gone.  He looked to Brass's body…and gasped when he realized the Knuckle was missing.  "No!  NO!!!"

Rokusho leaped to the window.  Sure enough, he spotted Karin's pink limo driving away from the main gate.  Medabot.  "Run all you want, girl.  I will have what is mine.  MEDAFORCE!!!"

A blue light surrounded his body, and within a few seconds, Rokusho was back in peak condition.  He glanced at Sumilidon's broken body one last time, then leaped into the night.

* * * * *

The walk back through the underground tunnel had been quiet for the most part.  It was starting to get to Erika, but she didn't dare speak.  She was afraid that she might break down into tears at any moment over Brutal's bravery.  He hadn't even known her a whole day, and yet he'd been willing to give everything for her.  Brass would've done it, too, of course, as would Metabee.  But that was different.  Erika expected that from them.  She KNEW them.

Ikki, seeming to sense Erika's discomfort, cleared his throat.  "How DID you get into the Rubberobos' hideout, anyway, Sloan?"

Erika flashed him a brief, grateful smile.

"I could tell you," Sloan replied slowly, "but then I'd have to kill you."

"Does Samantha know about this?"

Sloan didn't answer, and Ikki decided to let it go.

"Anyway, I wanted to say thanks.  We couldn't have held out that long without you."

Sloan shrugged.  "Maybe.  Maybe not."

"We should call Karin & Koji," Metabee said suddenly.  "To let them know we made it out okay."

Ikki paused, a bit surprised.  He'd thought Metabee would suggest that Karin could start preparing their victory party.  But then, it didn't seem right to celebrate.  Not after what Brutal had done.  "He's right."

Erika nodded and pulled out Koji's cell phone.  Before she could dial, though, it began to ring.

Everyone looked up I mild surprise as Erika answered.  "Hello?"

"E-Erika?" a voice asked nervously.

Erika frowned.  "Is that you, Karin?"

"Yes!  Are you all right?!"

"Yes, but-"

Karin cut her off.  "What about Ikki & Metabee?  And did you find Brass?"

Erika paused.  There was something…odd about Karin's voice.  "Yes, we're all okay."

"Oh, thank goodness!" Karin sighed in relief.

"Karin…what's wrong?" Erika asked as Ikki turned to look at her, worry in his eyes.

"Wrong?  Why would anything be wrong?"

"You don't sound like…you.  I know something's wrong!"

There was a slight pause.  "I'm so SORRY!" Karin suddenly wailed.  "If I'd known Rokusho would come after the Knuckle, I never would've gone to Koji's house!"

"Rokusho?!"

Metabee's head snapped up.  "WHAT?!"

"Karin, tell me what happened right now!"  Against her better judgment, Erika turned up the volume on the phone so everyone else could hear.

"Koji s-said we'd be safer at his house," Karin sniffled.  "But then Rokusho came and he…Koji was so brave, he and Sumilidon held Rokusho off while Neutranurse and I got away with the Knuckle.  But now Rokusho's back and I'm afraid he's done something terrible to Koji!"

"Koji," Ikki whispered, his eyes narrowing.

Metabee was shuddering with rage, but had not spoken again.

"Calm down, Karin," Erika said soothingly.  "Tell me where you are right now."

"I'm going to Uncle Aki's lab," Karin answered.  "I'm hoping he has something…or knows something that can stop Rokusho."

"Are you hurt?" Erika asked.

"No…Koji wouldn't let him near us…oh, Erika, I'm so worried!"

"Just focus on staying away from Rokusho.  How are you getting to your uncle's lab?"

"My driver's taking us, but I've seen Rokusho since we left.  Neutranurse says he's still following us."

"Listen to me very carefully, Karin," Erika whispered in a serious tone.  "If he corners you, and there's no way out…just give him the Knuckle."

"Erika, NO!" Ikki cried, grabbing for the phone.

She pulled away from him.  "It's not worth your life, Karin!"

"But…Koji promised he'd look after the Knuckle…and I promised I'd look after Brass's body.  That's one promise I've already broken…I won't break Koji's, too!  It's the least I can do."

Suddenly, the phone cut off.

Ikki swallowed.  "What?  Did she hang up?!"

"No…it went dead," Erika replied, then wished she hadn't.  "She's probably just getting close to Dr. Aki's lab.  You know he lives higher up than most people.  The air's thinner up there, and the connection could've just-"

"We have to save her," Ikki stated.

"You and Metabee have to save her," Erika corrected.  "I'm going to find Koji.  Anyway, I'd be useless in a fight.  Brass still needs her body, and unless Rokusho trashed it, it's still with Koji."

"But…you can't go alone," Ikki protested.  "What if…something happened to you?"

At any other time, Erika would've been touched by the concern in his voice.  "Are you implying that my Brutal can't hold off the Rubberobos?  Because if you are, Ikki Tenryou, I'm going to-!"

"I'll go with her," Sloan offered.  "But she's probably right, man.  I've never seen a Belzelga that powerful."

"I wasn't doubting Brutal," Ikki replied heatedly.  He looked at the ground.  "I was just worried about you, Erika…"

Erika's face fell.  "Ikki…"

"We don't have time for this," Sloan reminded her, pushing past.  "And neither does Karin."

At the mention of her name, Ikki looked up, clearly torn.

"Go," Erika said simply, before running after Sloan.

Ikki hesitated only for a moment.  "Metabee!"

"On it!"  Metabee fired his missiles, opening up a hole in the roof of the tunnel.  

"Transport Medapart!"

Metabee looked at his new Phoenix legs.  "Think we'll make it in time?"

"We have to," Ikki said climbing on his back.  "Let's go!"

Metabee nodded and soared into the air.

* * * * *

"We'll reach your uncle's lab in a few minutes, Miss Karin."

"Thank you, driver."  Karin hung up the phone.  "Don't worry, Nurse.  Uncle Aki will know what to do."

Neutranurse glanced out of the window.  "But I'm still detecting Rokusho, Karin…and he's still tracking us."

"I'm sure Erika and the others are coming up with a plan right now to stop him."

"But if they're not here, how does that help us?" Neutranurse asked.  

Karin suddenly became interested in something outside the window.

Less than a mile behind the pink limo, Rokusho had settled into an almost amazingly easy series of long hops, from tree to tree.  They were the leaps of an experienced hunter, one who could take down his prey whenever the desire arose.  He decided to hang back, to let them think they had a chance of escaping him.  The moment their guard was down, though, he would strike.  Chuckling softly, he willed the power of the Medaforce to him, allowing it to blanket his body in a disrupter field that couldn't be detected by anything but human eyesight.  Not that it mattered, since Karin would never even see him until it was far too late…

* * * * *

As soon as they'd reached Koji's front gate, Erika had transported Brass's body.  Though surprised to find it in perfect condition, Erika's attention was then drawn to the broken second floor window.  

They found Sumilidon first, and Brass let out a small cry of despair before turning away.  She remembered all too well what it was like to have a medal torn out.

 Errka suddenly gasped.  "Koji!"  Stepping carefully around the wrecked Sumilidon, she kneeled by Koji and checked his pulse.  "He's alive, but we'd better get him some help before we do anything else."

Brass hesitantly ventured closer to Sumilidon, and was surprised to see a faint glimmer in his smashed fist.  "Erika!"

Erika turned, only to see Brass holding up something small, shiny, and cracked down the center.

It was Sumilidon's medal.

"No…" Erika whispered in horror.  "They…they were only trying to do what I asked, and….this…"  She closed her eyes and looked away, shuddering with rage.

Brass examined the medal closely.  "Maybe…Dr. Aki can fix it?"

Erika sighed, tears in her eyes.  "Brass…I want you to take Sumilidon's medal straight to Dr. Aki.  I'll call an ambulance for Koji.   Just hope he doesn't wake up."

"But…why not?" Brass asked.

Erika didn't feel like mentioning it.  Deep down inside, she never wanted Koji to have to wake up and realize that everything he'd worked so hard for, all the training, all the glory, all the fame…were just gone.  And for no other reason but that he'd been trying to help her.

Erika made a silent promise that no matter what issues Metabee still had with Rokusho, Brass would be the one who finally took him down.  She was so focused on that promise, that she never even realized that Sloan & Samurai had vanished.

* * * * *

Karin sighed in relief as Dr. Aki's lab finally came into view.  "We made it," she whispered happily.

At that moment, the Chanbara Sword tore through the roof, clamped around Neutranurse's wrist, and yanked her out of the limo.

"NURSE!" Karin screamed.  

The car jerked to a stop.  "Miss Karin, are you all right?!" the driver cried in alarm.

"Yes!"  Karin scrambled out of the car, not sure whether to check on her Medabot or run with the Knuckle, which she still clutched under one arm.  The chances of her getting away with an object so heavy were unlikely, and even more so if she stayed.  But she couldn't force herself to abandon Neutranurse, and slowly peered around the side of the car.

Neutranurse was struggling to her feet, while Rokusho stood over her, his eyes a dull crimson.  He raised his sword.

"NO!" Karin shouted.  "LEAVE HER ALONE!"

Rokusho froze…and had he had a mouth, perhaps he would've smiled.  "Give it to me," he said simply, "or you'll be needing a replacement Neutranurse head very soon…"

Karin's eyes widened in fear.  "You…you wouldn't dare!"

Rokusho suddenly threw back his left arm with an almost careless gesture, catching the driver who'd been trying to sneak up on him flush in the chest.  The driver groaned and sank to the ground, clearly unconscious.

"I won't repeat myself again.  Give me the Knuckle…or her medal is mine."

Karin froze.

"You had your chance."  Rokusho raised his sword…and grunted in surprise when Karin suddenly bolted in the other direction.  With a confident grunt, he gave Neutranurse a kick that sent her sailing into the side of the limo, where she would remain until someone was able to pull her out.  Then he sprinted after Karin, and had caught up with her in mere seconds.

Karin stumbled to the ground at the sounds of his approach, trying to hide the Knuckle behind her.

Rokusho stood over her, his eyes flashing.  "You've wasted enough of my time."  He reached out and pressed the tip of his sword to her cheek.

Karin trembled in fear and closed her eyes, unable to meet his any longer.  She had failed.

"No."

An iron grip suddenly wrapped itself around Rokusho's wrist, and he gasped in shock as the arm instantly ceased to function.  "Impossible!  Who…" He trailed off abruptly, and Erika had feeling that if they had been human, his eyes would've been wide with shock.  "Spirit…you can't…it's not…"

The gray KBT grabbed Rokusho's other arm as well.  "Ro…sho," it said, in a voice heavy with years of disuse.

Rokusho shook his head, his fury rising.  "No…NO!  I defeated you ten years ago!  You can't still be…!"

Spirit's eyes flashed neon green.  "Spirit…never…DIES!"  He shoved Rokusho roughly to ground.

Rokusho slowly got to his feet.  He stared at his useless sword arm, and for a moment, it looked as if he might back off.  Then he growled and leaped at Spirit.  Before he could get close enough, two missiles suddenly slammed into his back, knocking him off course.

"HEY!" shouted an angry voice above him.  "We never finished our Robattle!!!"

Rokusho growled angrily and tried to get to his feet.  "Curse you, Metabee…not NOW…"

Spirit trained his revolver on Rokusho while Metabee landed, with Ikki leaping off his back and running over to Karin.

Karin's face flooded with relief as he helped her up.  "Ikki!  You came to save me?"

Ikki grinned, his cheeks glowing red.  "Ah, well, it was nothing, really…"

"Oh, you're a little too late," Karin replied, not noticing when Ikki face vaulted.  "That gray Medabot over there did all the work!"

Ikki sweatdropped as he stood up.  "But we helped, too…!"

Rokusho growled under his breath as Metabee joined Spirit, also training his revolver on the wounded Medabot.

"So, how should we take him down?" Metabee asked.

"No," Spirit said, dropping his arm.  "Let him go."

"WHAT?!  No way!"

Spirit whirled on Metabee, his revolver suddenly aimed at the other KBT's head.  "Let.  Him.  Go."

Metabee glared as Rokusho limped away.  "This isn't over Rokusho!"  He turned back to Spirit.  "Why'd you let him go?!  He's just gonna do this again!"

"No."  Spirit dropped his arm again.  "Rokusho will wait now.  Until the day."

"WHAT day?"

But Spirit would say nothing else.

"Hey…where's Neutranurse?" Ikki asked suddenly.

Karin gasped and ran back to the limo.  "Nurse!  Nurse!  Can you hear me?  Where are you?!"

Metabee looked around.  "I don't think she's here…"

"Here," Spirit said, touching the large dent in the side of the limo where Neutranurse was still stuck.  "But no work."

Ikki & Metabee began the careful process of prying her out.

"Who ARE you, anyway?" Ikki asked Spirit.

"I heard Rokusho call him Spirit," Metabee replied.  "Like they knew each other…"

"Yes," Spirit said.  "Long ago.  So many…changes."

"I bet he wasn't evil back then," Metabee grumbled.

"No," Spirit agreed.  "But very strong.  Very fast."

Neutranurse finally came loose, but was still pretty banged up.  

"At least she's still got her medal," Ikki noted.

"And thanks to you, Mr. Metabot," Karin said, smiling at Spirit, "we still have the K.O.D.!"

"…fish?" Spirit asked, confused.

Ikki shook his head, and laughed for the first time that night.

* * * * *

The bunny peddler sighed and shook his head.  It had been another slow day.  "The world's really in bad shape when no one wants a bunny," he grumbled.

Suddenly, there was a loud thumping noise und his mat.

"Huh?  What the…?"

The bunny peddler was knocked off his mat as something big, black, and smoking tore through the mat, its eyes glowing red.  He got one look at it and ran off screaming, dragging his basket of bunnies with him.

The Medabot fell to its knees, exhausted but determined.  "Rikaaa…" it growled, pulling itself out of the alley with the one good arm it still possessed.  "Rika…needs me…"

* * * * *

Erika sighed and looked at Koji again.  The doctors had told her an hour ago that he only had a mild concussion, but she was hopeful that he'd continue to sleep, anyway.  She didn't want to be the one to tell him about Sumilidon.

"Okay, Erika.  Time to think positive.  Did anything GOOD happen today?"

There was Brass…but she'd had to give up Brutal.

Erika frowned.  "I never even got the chance to thank him…"

Suddenly, the phone by the bed rang.

"Who would have the number already?"  Erika picked up the phone.  "Hello?"

"How's Koji?" asked a familiar voice.

Erika's eyes narrowed.  "Rintaro!"

"Whoa, take it easy, dudette!"

"Take it easy?!  After what Rokusho did, how can you even-"

"Holp up, Erika!  Rokusho doesn't take orders from me.  He's his own Medabot.  All I know is he's got a major hang-up on that Knuckle of yours."

Erika paused.  "Why are you telling me this?"

"Just thought you should know.  Anyway, I'll see all you guys at the Championships."

"What?!  There's no way you're going to the World Robattle Championships!"

"Oh, but I am.  Although, I didn't mean the WRCs.  I meant the JNRCs!"

"Huh?"

"Seeya later, dudette!"

Before Erika could say anything else, Rintaro hung up.  "JNRCs?  What could he…oh no!  I've got to warn Ikki!"

* * * * *

"Not to worry, Karin," Dr. Aki said, patting her shoulder.  "I'm confident in Ms. Caviar's abilities.  Neutranurse will be good as new by morning."

"Thanks, Uncle Aki," Karin replied, but she didn't smile.

"Any word on what happened to Koji yet?" Ikki asked, reading her thoughts.

Dr. Aki shook his head.  "Sorry.  Erika hasn't called.  She probably just wants to make sure he's okay first."  His shades flashed mysteriously.  "Now, tell me more about this mystery Medabot…?"

"He called himself Spirit," Ikki said.  "He was an old KBT, but gray all over.  And he was super-strong."

"Spirit?  That name seems…so familiar," Dr. Aki murmured.  "Like I should know it…"

Metabee leaned over a console.  "Hey, should this red light be flashing?"

"GAH!  That's the security alarm!" Dr. Aki cried.  "HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN DOING THAT?!"

"You must have it on silent, Uncle Aki," Karin noted.

Dr. Aki rushed to the console and punched in commands.  "We've got an intruder!  Cameras, focus on the disturbance and prepare anti-Metabot defenses!"

"Why anti-Medabot?" Ikki asked.

"After what Rokusho nearly did, you have to ask?"

But the image that popped up in the next few seconds was not Rokusho.

"Whoa!  Cancel that last order, Doc!" Metabee shouted.  "That's BRASS!"

"She's back in her body!" Ikki cheered.  "Erika made it!"

Within a few minutes, Brass had explained what she'd learned: Koji's condition, as well as Sumilidon's.

Dr. Aki didn't look very hopeful as he examined the cracked medal.  "I can't repair this medal," he said at last.  "There's too much risk that I'd erase Sumilidon's data if I tried."

"Then…it's over for Koji?" Karin asked.

"Maybe not.  I could transfer the data to another Kuwagata medal.  Performance would suffer a little at first…but knowing Koji, I have little doubt he'd be able to overcome that eventually."

"Then…you can save Sumilidon?" Ikki asked.  

"With time," Dr. Aki replied.  "I'll get started right now."

* * * * *

Rintaro looked up as Miranda ran into his room, bawling her eyes out.  "Hey, what's up, sis?"

Miranda buried her face in his shirt.  "It's not fair!" she wailed.  "That mean old Rokusho beat up my Teddy!"

"What?" Rintaro asked, patting her head.  "Tell what happened."

"We went to pick him up from Dr. Aki's like you said, and when we brought him back here, he just turned around and...and…WAAAAAAAAH!"

Rintaro smiled.  "Don't worry about it, sis.  He was just picking up the final ten points."

Miranda sniffled and raised her head.  "What…?"

Rintaro chuckled.  "Now we've all got enough points to cause some major trouble for Ikki & Co."

"Huh?  But…the Robattle standings have already been finalized, big brother…"

Rintaro grinned maniacally.  "Oh, HAVE they, sis…?"  He threw back his head and laughed.

* * * * *

Sloan looked up at his superior.  "You were right, sir.  The Rubberobos have operatives almost everywhere.  They're like a plague."

"Then we'll have to be the cure.  Are you willing to risk your Metabot to bring them down, son?"

Sloan saluted.  "Yes, sir!"

"Then let's do it.  Now."

* * * * *

Erika groaned in frustration and dialed the number again.  For some reason, nobody was answering at Dr. Aki's.  She tried ignore the feeling that suggested something very bad had happened there.  After all, Ikki & Metabee had to be there by now…

She quickly pushed that thought away as well.  She refused to believe that something had happened to them.

"But…you can't go alone," Ikki had said the last time they'd spoken.  "What if…something happened to you?"

Suddenly, Erika's Medawatch began to beep.  At first, she thought Brass was trying to call her.  And then she realized it was the black Medawatch.  "Brutal…?" she whispered.

"Rikaaa…"

She spun around in time to see the black Medabot tumbling through the window.  "BRUTAL!  You're okay!"  She ran over and threw her arms around him.  "I thought I'd never see you again…"

Brutal grunted happily.  "Rass…okay?"

Erika blinked, then smiled.  "Yes, Brass is just fine, thanks to you."

"But everything else is not," said a familiar voice.

Erika turned again and gasped.  "Space Medafighter X?!  What are you doing here?!"

"Checking up on my pupil," SMX replied, looking down at Koji.  "And I'm here to deliver a message as well.  One that you may already know about."

From behind SMX stepped a gray KBT-type with green eyes.  

"Play the tape for her, Spirit."

Spirit nodded and his eyes flashed.

"I repeat, ladies and gentlemen, the World Robattle Association has announced that there will be a Japanese National Robattle Championship this year, in order to clear up some discrepancies in the point totals.  Apparently, at least three Medafighters have the same point totals as the top three-ranked Medafighters.  Several other Medafighters have also come startlingly close to qualifying, and so it has been decided that they will all receive a chance to advance during the National Championships.  The three overall winners will then go on to represent Japan in the World Robattle Championships.  Here is a finalized list of all the invited competitors…"

* * * * *

Rokusho leaped into the darkness of night, his red eyes flashing with renewed energy.  "We will meet again, Spirit.  And this time…in the name of my Medafighter, Professor Hushi…I'll make sure you never Robattle again!"

* * * * *

Metabee summoned up all his courage…and decided it was time to have a talk with Brass.

He found her standing guard over Neutranurse.  He also noticed, chuckling softly, that she'd put the K.O.D. back on.  Metabee suppressed the strong urge to ask her for a Robattle and walked up to her.  "Um…Brass?"

She turned to face him.  "Yes, Metabee?"

"I…wanted to say…it's great to have you back."

She nodded.  "It's good to be back."

"No, I mean…it's REALLY great to have you back."

Brass nodded again.  "I know.  I'm quite pleased myself."

Metabee sighed.  "NO!  I mean…I missed you."

"…oh."  Brass turned away slightly.  "Really…?"

"Well, yeah!  I've worked with partners before, but nobody backs me up like you do."

She decided to take that as one of Metabee's rare compliments.  "And…what if I wanted you to back me up?" she asked softly.

"Just name the time and place," he said at once.

She turned around in shock.  "You…wouldn't mind not being in the spotlight?"

"Kinda hard to get out of it, being number three in Japan," he reminded her.  "But I figure since you helped me get this far, I don't mind sharing it with you."  His eyes darkened.  "But don't you tell anybody I said that!"

"Of course not," she replied automatically.  Then she giggled.  "You…really missed me, Metabee?"

"Guess you'll have to find out in the super-exclusive interview," he teased, winking at her.

"It'll have to wait!" Ikki cried as he burst in.  "You guys gotta hear this!"  He thrust the radio he was holding at them.

"…and last but certainly not least, the winners of the citywide tournament (hosted by Koji, ranked number two), Erika & Brass!  Once again, those are the competitors for the Japan National Robattle Championships!"

* * * * *

Continued in Chapter 8: The Iron Grip

The stage is set for the Japan National Robattle Championships, and every top spot is on the line!  SMX, Ikki, and even Koji will fight to hang onto their titles, while Erika & the Evil Dudes will battle to take them away!  But why is Spirit entering, where's his Medafighter, and why is he nothing short of unstoppable?  And what powerful, undefeated Metabot lies in wait for the winners?


	9. C8: The Iron Grip

Notes:  I originally planned for the following events to take place at the WRCs.  But once I actually saw how the WRCs were set up (thank goodness for Fox Family!), I knew they'd be better suited to occur on a local (Japanese) stage.  At this point, I don't even know if I'll even have the WRCs in the story anymore.  

Warning: I SO made up the rules for the JNRCs, mostly because I don't like the way the WRCs are set up.  There's more Robattles my way.  J

Summary: With his title on the line, Ikki makes a startling choice that could destroy his dream of competing in the World Robattle Championships.   

Brass and the Knuckle…OF DOOM!

Chapter 8: The Iron Grip

Erika woke up in a surprisingly good mood.  She wasn't necessarily happy about anything, but she couldn't shake the feeling that it was going to be a very good day all the same.  

Her gaze went to the wall, where Brass stood, unmoving, in her usual Sleep Mode space.  However, right beside her was a tough-looking Belzelga with quite a few dents and scratches in his armor.  It was going to be a little odd, getting used to controlling two Medabots.

And then she remembered poor Koji & Sumilidon.

Erika's gaze went back to Brutal, and she began to think…

* * * * *

Koji awoke to the sound of some very relaxing humming.  "Karin…" he murmured, his eyes drifting slowly open.

But Karin was not in the hospital room.  There was, however, a tape recorder sitting right next to his pillow, playing Karin's melodious voice.

Koji sweatdropped, and suspected he would've face vaulted if he were feeling better.

It was quite a few minutes more (the tape was a bit distracting) before he noticed the odd teddy bear in a chair by the bed.  Odd in that it provided little or no comfort when Koji looked at it.  In fact, the only feelings such a bear might've inspired in anyone were intense fear and possibly madness from prolonged exposure.

And it was very familiar, for some reason…

Before he could make the connection, the door opened, and Karin entered, carrying a tray loaded with nutritious foods.  "Good morning, Koji!" she practically sang.  "Feeling any better?"  She placed the tray gently in his lap.

"I suppose, but I wammMMMPH!"  He was cut off as Karin stuffed a piece of honeydew in his mouth.

"You have to hurry and get your strength back," she advised in a motherly manner, already sifting through the fruit bowl again with a fork, before selecting a particularly juicy piece of cantaloupe and offering it to him.

Koji pointedly ignored the blush rising in his cheeks and ate, if for no other reason than to see Karin smile as she fed him.  He was on his third piece of pineapple when the odd teddy bear shifted in its chair.  Koji nearly choked on his pineapple.

"Are you okay?" Karin asked, instantly at his side to rub his back.

Koji nodded and forced the fruit down, gasping for air.  "The…the BEAR…" he hissed, pointing excitedly.

"Oh, that!  I don't know who it's from, but isn't it precious?"  She went over and patted the bear's head.

Koji sweatdropped.  Only Karin could look at a vicious grizzly and see a playful panda.  "Karin…"

"Whoops!  Sorry!"  She picked up the fruit bowl and offered him another piece of honeydew.

"No, I just wammMMMPH!"

Karin stuffed the fruit in his mouth again.  "If you were that hungry, you should've just said so, silly!"

Koji sighed, several sweatdrops rolling down his face as he chewed submissively, sending the bear wary glances every few seconds.

* * * * *

"Seeker Missiles!"

"Laserbeams!"

Metabee & Samurai fired their powerful attacks at once.

Arcbeetle easily dodged both.

"Your aim lacks skill," Space Medafighter X scolded.  "Now let's test your defense.  Arcbeetle!" he shouted, striking various poses.  "It's time for the Pillar of Fire!  The Power of the Sun!"

"The Prominence," Ikki and Sloan muttered in mocking tones, putting their Metabots on defense.

"Energizing!" Arcbeetle replied.

Metabee suddenly took on a green glow.  "MEDAFORCE!!!"

To Ikki's amazement, Metabee didn't attack.  Instead, the glow seemed to solidify around him, creating a kind of see-through green armor.

"Arcbeetle!  Full power!"

"Riiight!"  Arcbeetle's horns separated and fired the huge blast.

Metabee & Samurai were lost in the explosion.

When the smoke cleared, Samurai was fairly damaged, but Metabee was clearly ready to go on.

"Awesome!" Ikki cheered.  "Metabee, you're incredible!"

"Tell me something I don't know, Ikkster," Metabee replied, the glow fading.

"Your control over your rare medal is inspiring," SMX said.  "I commend you."

"Well, when you got it…" Metabee chuckled.

"Now!  Again!"

Metabee sighed.  "Aw, man…"

* * * * *

"Teddy's in place," Miranda said, grinning at the image of Karin feeding Koji on her Medawatch.  

"Good work, sis," Rintaro chuckled.  "Keep an eye on him.  I want to make sure he doesn't think about missing the National Championships."

"He'll be there," Rokusho added.  "And so will Spirit.  They're both too stubborn not to."

"Too bad they're all goin' down, baby," Kantaroth chimed in.

"Your confidence will be your downfall," Rokusho muttered.  "We can't afford to underestimate any of them at this stage.  Especially not Spirit…"

* * * * *

Koji woke up to see someone in pink leaning over him.  "Karin, is that you?"

"Not exactly."

He blinked.  "Erika?  What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to say I'm sorry.  If it wasn't for me, Rokusho wouldn't have attacked you."

"No.  I volunteered to look after the Knuckle.  It was my choice to accept…my duty."

Erika frowned.  "Your…duty?"

"The instant you signed up for my Tournament, you placed yourself and your Medabot under my protection.  But I failed you, and worst of all, I failed Brass.  This was the only thing I could do to make up for it.  And I've failed you again…"

"You didn't.  I still have Brass and the Knuckle.  But you lost your best friend…"

Koji's eyes widened.  "…Sumilidon?" he asked in a small voice.

"And now your number two spot is in danger.  I don't know how long it'll take Dr. Aki to repair Sumilidon…or if he'll ever be the same as he was…so I want you to use Brutal for the Nationals."  She held out her black Medawatch.

Koji stared at the Medawatch.  "You…you'd give me Brutal?"

"Yes.  I was planning to use Brass, anyway.  Brutal's a loyal friend, but Brass is my Medabot.  I could never use another in the Nationals."

"And yet you expect me to?" Koji asked coldly.

"You don't have any other choice right now!" Erika cried.  "You can't just give up your spot because you don't have Sumilidon!"

"Sumilidon's the one who got me that spot.  Without him, there's no point."

"You're wrong," growled a sinister voice in his ear.

Erika & Koji both gasped to see TeleTeddy leering at them.  

"If you give up now, we win," TeleTeddy snarled.  "And when we win…you lose…everything.  Your Medabots…your medals…your Robattle careers.  It'll be even easier to beat you at the Championships…if you've already given up Sumilidon's medal…maybe…if you're lucky…we'll even beat you WITH it…"

"Sumilidon," Koji whispered, shuddering with rage.

"Seeya in the Robattle ring, champ."  TeleTeddy vanished in a flash of red light.

"You have to fight, Koji.  It doesn't matter what Medabot you use…but you HAVE to fight!" Erika insisted.

"I will," Koji said softly.  "I will…"

* * * * *

"So what's the status on Sumilidon, Doc?" Metabee asked.

"I've done all I can," Dr. Aki replied.  "The data transfer appears to be successful…but we won't know the extent of the faults until we actually see him Robattle.  Unfortunately, with the Nationals just a day away, I doubt there will be sufficient time to test and work out all the bugs."

"Especially with Koji in the hospital," Ikki muttered.

"Wait a minute, Ikki!  You're a Medafighter, and Sumilidon knows you!  Why can't YOU test him out?"

Ikki blinked.  "That…actually is a good idea, Metabee.  But I wouldn't feel right unless Koji knew about it."

"Then we have to work quickly," Dr. Aki said.  "The damage done to Sumilidon's body was too extensive, so I had to replace all his parts. Luckily, his Tin Pet was easier to patch up."

* * * * *

At first, Koji had been outraged at the thought of anyone else controlling Sumilidon.  But Dr. Aki had calmly explained that if he were to stand any chance Robattling against high-level contenders, Sumilidon would have to be put through his paces before the Nationals.  If it had been anyone but Ikki (although he would've preferred SMX), Koji probably wouldn't have agreed.

His spirits had been lifted a little when Erika told him that SMX had stopped by the night before.  But Koji didn't expect him to come back.  More than likely, he was busy training for the Nationals, like Ikki was.  He mentioned this to Erika, who he thought should be training instead of watching over him.

But Erika had only smiled.  "Koji, if Brass and I weren't ready for the Nationals, our names never would've made the list.  We'll be fine."

"Do you really think Brass would stand a chance against someone like, say, Metabee?" Koji asked.

"I really don't know yet," Erika admitted.  "But if we still haven't faced Ikki when the Nationals end, I'm going to challenge him to an unofficial Robattle."

"Why unofficial?" Koji asked, clearly surprised.

"I don't want any of Ikki's parts, and I'd hope he wouldn't take mine.  I just want it to be a Robattle between friends.  To prove something to Brass and me.  No pressure."

"So…what happens if you lose?"

Erika shrugged.  "We go back to training.  I think Brutal would be more than a match for Brass.  I want them to get used to each other's styles, just in case a team battle ever comes up."

"And if you win?"

Erika grinned.  "Then we rub it in their faces until they can beat us, I guess."

* * * * *

When the smoke cleared, both Medabots were still standing.

"What…incredible power," Space Medafighter X murmured.  "Even better…than before…"

Spirit lowered his revolver slowly.  "Done?"

"Yes," SMX replied aloud.  "Arcbeetle, power down."

Arcbeetle sank to the ground, clearly exhausted.

"Tell me, my friend.  What is it you hope to gain by defeating Rokusho?"

"Rokusho…lost," Spirit said.  "Defeat…will find him.  And…Spirit must be best…again."

"I don't think you have to worry about that," SMX chuckled.

"No," Spirit replied absently, staring closely at his mask.

SMX sweatdropped.  "Uh…why are you…staring…?"

"Not him," Spirit said, turning away.  "Not my Medafighter."  Then he glanced over his shoulder.  "But almost…"  And then he was gone, fleeing into the night.

"He knows?" Arcbeetle asked hesitantly.

SMX nodded.  "He won't tell.  We can trust him.  Now, let's go, Arcbeetle.  There is much to be done."

* * * * *

Erika had told herself several times that she was not nervous.  She was almost certain that she wasn't lying.

She had, of course, thought herself mad when she'd turned down the ride in Karin's limo with Koji.  There was no need not to ride to the Nationals in style.

And then, roughly five minutes later, Ikki had called to regretfully inform her that he'd done the same.  But only because his mother had insisted on driving her "little champion" herself.

Before she'd known what she was saying, Erika had mentioned that she needed a ride as well.

And before Ikki could reply, Mrs. Tenryou had picked up on the extension.  "Well, of COURSE you can ride with us, dear!  I'll even make some snacks so we won't get hungry!"

Erika found herself smiling.  "Thanks, Mrs. T; you're the best."

Ikki's mother had hung up then, probably to get started on the snacks right away.

There had been a moment of silence, before Ikki finally said, "Erika?"

"Yes, Ikki?"  Erika suddenly found herself wanting to tell him about her plans to challenge him after the Nationals.

"Nothing," he'd replied after a moment.  "See you tomorrow."

* * * * *

For some reason, Ikki felt uneasy the moment Erika sat down next to him.  Even one of his mother's homemade cookies hadn't helped, which was a real shocker.

Metabee apparently didn't feel the same way, because he hadn't stopped talking to Brass about the competition they'd be facing.

Erika didn't say anything, either, although she did occasionally smile at her Medabot, but only when Brass wasn't looking.

The silence had continued all the way to the ready room assigned for Ikki & Metabee.  There was a good chance Erika had her own somewhere, but she didn't feel like going to it, and Ikki gave no sign that he wanted her to leave.

A few minutes later, Koji & Karin walked in.  Koji still looked a little pale, but was otherwise fine.  He was still a little worried about Sumilidon, though.  He explained how Dr. Aki had strongly urged him to equip Sumilidon with more than just his usual parts, since he would need an edge while adjusting to his new medal.  Koji had grudgingly gone with an Anti-Gravity Arm, but insisted on keeping the Shadow Sword.

And then Sloan burst in with a long package tucked under his arm.  He shoved it into a startled Koji's arms.

The gift turned out to be a brand-new Medapart: a Rokusho arm.

A LEFT Rokusho arm, complete with a Chanbara Sword.

Koji couldn't believe his eyes.  "Sloan…where did you GET this?!"

"You'd be…surprised…what you can find…when you look," Sloan panted.

"I didn't even know they made the swords for the other arm," Koji whispered.

"Well, getting it wasn't easy," Sloan replied, catching his breath.  "So be sure you win."

"Win?  With this, Sumilidon will be unstoppable!"

"I'm glad you feel that way!" Mr. Referee said as he stuck his head in the door, startling everyone.  "Because I declare that the Japan National Robattle Championships will have three divisions: Triple Team, Tag Team, and Solo!"

"Say what?" Ikki asked in shock.

"The rules are simple!  Each Medafighter will be awarded points for each opponent he defeats!  All division champions receive extra points!  The three Medafighters with the highest grand totals will represent Japan in the World Robattle Championships!"

"You didn't know that?" Koji asked.

"I didn't even know there WERE any JNRCs until two days ago," Ikki admitted.    

"The Nationals haven't been held in ten years!" Mr. Referee added as he left.

* * * * *

Erika had been surprised by Mr. Referee's rules, too.  Fortunately, she'd brought Brutal's Medawatch, so if she couldn't come up with a final team member, there was always him.  She didn't have any experience controlling two Medabots at once, but both Brass & Brutal had proven to be pretty much self-reliant when needed.  Erika was planning on asking Karin to join her, but she never got the chance.

After upgrading Sumilidon, Koji had come back grinning.  "Great news, Ikki!  I ran into Space Medafighter X, and he says he'll join our team!  No one will stand a chance against us!  We're still going to the WRCs together!"

Erika had figured as much.

Ikki didn't say anything.

"Well?  Aren't you excited?" Koji asked.

"I'm sorry, Koji," Ikki said quietly.  "But I don't think I'll be on your team."

"…what?  You're…kidding, right…?"

Ikki sighed.  "I would, under normal circumstances.  But Metabee & I are here to try and retain our title, and to do that, we have to be on a team that stands the best chances of winning."

"But…what other team could POSSIBLY win more than us?!"

"Well, if they'll have us," Ikki replied, looking up, "I'd rather join Erika & Brass."

There was total silence for a long moment.

"Mmm-hmm, that's RIGHT!" Metabee suddenly shouted, marching up to Koji.  "So you can go back to Spacey Medawimp X and tell him to get ready for a serious Beetlemania-bopping!!!"

Koji gaped for a few seconds.  Then he smiled slightly.  "Have it your way, Ikki," he said as he left.

Erika, though, continued to stare at him in shock.  "Ikki," she whispered at last, "why did you…?"

"Do you want the technical reason, or the real one?" Ikki asked, still avoiding her eyes.

"Both."

"Technically, Sumilidon's not what he used to be, and neither is Koji.  Joining them would be risky."

"And the real reason?"

Ikki finally turned to look at her.  "Because I know that nobody can beat us when we work together, Erika.  It's why we've been best friends so long, and why we'll still be best friends when we're old and gray."  He grinned and sweatdropped.  "Anyway, Metabee's not sure if he can beat the Knuckle of Doom."

"WHAT?!  I NEVER SAID THAT!" Metabee yelled.

"So we are going to team with them?" Brass asked as Metabee tried to strangle Ikki.

"Looks like it," Erika said.  "But we still need one more person…"

The words were barely out of her mouth when the door burst open.

"IKKI!" cried the bespectacled redhead that ran in.  "I knew I'd find you here!"

"Natalie?" Ikki said in shock.  "What are you doing here?"

Instead of answering, Natalie shoved one of her octopus balls into his mouth.  "I finally rediscovered the perfect recipe!"

Ikki's eyes widened as he chewed faster.  "Yes!  YES!  THIS IS PERFECT!!!  Erika, you gotta try these!!!"

Erika hesitantly took one, but didn't eat it right away.  She remembered that Natalie had almost beaten Ikki in a Robattle the last time they'd met.  "Natalie, how would you and Octoclam like to join our team?"

Natalie froze.  "You mean…be on the same team as my darling Ikki?!  We'd LOVE to!"

Ikki was just as surprised as Natalie.  "Hey, yeah!  That'd be…almost as good as THESE OCTOPUS BALLS!!!"  He shoveled more into his mouth at a terrific speed.

Erika sweatdropped, then smiled.  "Looks like Beetlemania has been born…"

"You don't mind the name, do you, Miss Natalie?" Brass asked.

Natalie blinked.  "Hmm?  Oh, no!  But, I do have a little favor to ask…"

* * * * *

"Welcome to the Qualifying Round of the Triple Team Tournament!" Mr. Referee announced.  "While these first matches are to determine who will participate in the Triple Team Division, points are still on the line!  The winners advance, and the losers go home!"

Natalie gulped.  "No pressure or anything."

"Don't worry.  We're GOING to win," Ikki said confidently.

Erika smiled at him, but remained silent.

Mr. Referee continued.  "Introducing first, in the Blue Corner!  The Rockers, with Medabots Blackram, Blackram, and Team Leader Phoenix!"

The Rockers ran in to a gnarly guitar solo, nearly blasting Mr. Referee out of the ring.

Mr. Referee quickly regained his composure.  "And now, the Red Corner!  First, with Octoclam, maker of the world's most perfect octopus balls, Natalie!  Next are citywide champions Erika & Brass!  Last but not least are Team Leaders Ikki & Metabee, the NUMBER THREE RANKED MEDAFIGHTING DUO IN JAPAN!!!  Together, they are Beetlemania!"

"It's gonna be different this time, you little punk!" one of the Rockers shouted at Ikki.

"You just keep telling yourself that, buddy," Metabee laughed.

Mr. Referee cleared his throat.  "Medafighters ready?"

"YEAH!"

"Medabots, Rooobattle!"

* * * * *

In terms of raw power, the Rockers probably had the advantage.  

Of course, Ikki's strategy would keep any member of Beetlemania from taking too many hits.

Metabee & Brass would force the opposing Medabots to keep their distance, even though Octoclam was easily fast enough to dodge on his own.  As to what he'd be doing in the meantime…well, that was another part of the strategy.

The Rockers began the match as Ikki expected them to: trying to pin down anything that moved with Bombarder missiles.  Phoenix wisely hung back, as his armor couldn't take too many direct hits.

Not that they DID hit anything, as every member of Beetlemania (save Octoclam, who remained at the edge of the ring, motionless) evaded the missiles without much effort.

"This is crazy!!!" the leader of the Rockers shouted.  "There's no way they can be that fast!"

Ikki only smirked.  "Time for Phase 2!  Beetles, move in!"

Metabee & Brass streaked forward as little more than twin blurs, peppering the Blackrams with their repeaters.

The Blackrams responded predictably, relying on their Bombarders again.

And while Metabee leaped back to avoid damage, in accordance with Ikki's plan, Brass did not.

Erika couldn't bear to watch as Brass was hidden from view by the numerous explosions.  Still, her Medawatch confirmed that Ikki's plan had worked.  "K.O.D. 100% charged, ready to transform and release!"

"Cover her, Metabee!" Ikki ordered.

"On it!"  Metabee returned fire, even as the smoke began to clear.

"Transformation complete!" Erika's Medawatch reported.  

Erika grinned.  "Fire, Brass!"

Metabee dove to the ground as a huge fireball tore through the smoke and slammed into the Blackrams.

Brass stepped into the view, revealing that the K.O.D. was now a forest green Bombarder, and nearly twice the normal size of one.

"I'll take it from here, guys!" Natalie shouted.  "Octoclam, go!"

Octoclam zipped forward, his torso spinning rapidly as Phoenix flew from the smoke and spat clouds of superheated flames.

"Ink Jets!" Natalie yelled.

High-pressured blobs of ink flew from Octoclam's head and splattered Phoenix's head, wreaking havoc on his targeting systems.

"Finish it!  Bouncing Calamity!"

Looking more like a rubber ball than a Medabot, Octoclam launched himself into the air and crashed into Phoenix, scoring an instant knockout.

"Functions ceased!" Mr. Referee announced.  "And the winners are…Beetlemania!!!  105 points awarded to each Medabot!"

"I told you, girls," Ikki said with a grin as they left the platform.  "We're going all the way to the top!"

"I never doubted you for a second, Ikki!" Natalie replied, obviously smitten.  "But where did you get the strategy?"

"It's called Power Leech, an advanced technique," Ikki answered, perhaps a bit haughtily.  "One Metabot remains stationary and lends power to the other two, increasing their speed and attack.  I found a book on Robattle formations in Dr. Aki's house.  It's pretty old, but no one expects you to bring back the classics."

"There's one thing I don't get," Erika said.  "How did you know what the K.O.D. was capable of?"

Ikki sweatdropped.  "Oh, I think I hear my mom calling me…"  He ran off with Natalie right behind him.

"That was odd," Brass murmured.

Metabee shook his head.  "If you think that's odd, you should see the way he makes his bed."  
  


* * * * *

"In the Blue Corner!  With Medabots Megaphant, Megaphant, and yes, you guessed it, Megaphant, the Metamashers!"

Three burly men walked out, wearing muscle shirts and randomly striking bodybuilding poses as they headed to the platform.

"And now the Red Corner!  First, Koji & Sumilidon, THE NUMBER TWO RANKED MEDAFIGHTING DUO IN JAPAN!  Next are Team Leaders Space Medafighter X & Arcbeetle, THE NUMBER ONE RANKED MEDAFIGHTING DUO IN JAPAN!"

The crowd roared in approval as Koji & SMX reached the platform with their Metabots.

"Finally, please join me in welcoming a true legend back to the Metadome!  He last appeared in the World Robattle Championships ten years ago, and he's here today to reclaim his former glory!  Ladies and gentleman, the one, the only, SPIRIT!  Together, they are…THE CHAMPIONS!!!"

"WHAT?!" Metabee cried in shock as Spirit headed to the platform.  "He's on THEIR team?!"

"When those guys replace somebody, they don't mess around," Erika said.

"Go, Spirit!" Karin cheered.  "Go, Koji!"

Ikki sweatdropped.  "Who's side are you on, Karin?"

"I want you all to win!" Karin replied brightly.

"What about ME?!" Erika demanded.  "We can't ALL win!"

"Oh.  Well…if they beat you, you can win the next division!"

Erika sighed.  "Gee, thanks, Karin."

"No problem!"

* * * * *

"Medabots, Rooobattle!"

Spirit instantly leapt into action, charging across the ring and heading straight for the lead Megaphant.

The opposing Medafighter smirked.  "He'll never get past my Shield Arm!"

Spirit drew back his right arm and thrust his hand forward, fingers extended.  Much to the shock of everyone watching, his fingers punched through the shield as if it were paper, grabbed the Megaphant by the neck, and lifted it up over Spirit's head.  From there, all it took was a toss to put the Megaphant out of commission.

The other two Medafighters quickly recovered from their shock and raced at Arcbeetle, who easily dodged their charges.  Realizing he was much too fast to keep up with, they headed for Sumilidon.

"Not so fast!" SMX shouted.  "Arcbeetle!  Initiate power-up!  Show them the Power of the Sun!"

Arcbeetle's servos began to hum as he gathered the power.

Already the Megaphants were moving out of the line of fire, but SMX didn't seem to care.  "Fire the Prominence!"

Arcbeetle grunted and fired a huge beam of light…straight at Sumilidon.

Koji narrowed his eyes.  "Sumilidon!  Pharaoh Strike!"

Sumilidon raised his arms, then brought both blades down in a diagonal X-slash just as the Prominence hit.

There was a blinding flash of light, followed by a huge explosion.

When the smoke cleared, Sumilidon was revealed, kneeling and singed, but functional.

The remaining Megaphants had not fared so well.  Each of them had caught half of the blast, but even that was enough to floor them.

"Functions ceased!" Mr. Referee announced.  "And the winners are…The Champions!"

* * * * *

"I still don't get how they did it," Erika said.  "How did Sumilidon deflect the Prominence so precisely that it hit the last two Megaphants?"

"It would've taken split-second timing," Ikki replied.  "Not to mention a ton of skill…and some luck."

"They'll be tough to beat," Natalie murmured.  "But we'll show them!"

"Right," Erika agreed with a smile.  "Beetlemania's going all the way!"

"All the way DOWN, you mean!" shouted a familiar, sinister voice.

Erika turned and sighed.  "What do YOU want, Samantha?  Didn't I just beat you a couple of days ago?"

"That was then, this is now!" Samantha snapped.  "I've got a new crew, and you get the honor of being eliminated by us in the first round tomorrow!  See you losers later!"  She laughed and walked out of the locker room.

* * * * *

"You're SURE you can handle Spirit, dude?  We can't afford any mistakes!"

Rokusho brushed off Rintaro's concern.  "If you're worried about Spirit's display of power out there, you shouldn't be surprised.  He has a fully evolved metal.  Luckily for you, so do I.  Such powers are not unusual for Medabots like us."

"But you're SURE you can beat him?" Rintaro asked again.

"Of course," Rokusho answered.  "When the time comes, I will crush Spirit.  In the solo division.  Alone.  Until then, I'll handle him, should our paths cross."

Miranda ran into the locker room, a big grin on her face.  "Great news, guys!  I just found out who are opponents tomorrow are!  We get to fight The Champions!"

"Excellent," Rukusho whispered, his eyes shining in anticipation.

* * * * *

Koji nearly collapsed once he reached the locker room.  "I can't believe we pulled that off!"

"We did," SMX replied.  "Sumilidon performed well today, Koji, despite his handicap."

"He doesn't have a handicap," Koji stated firmly.

"He's still not used to his body yet," SMX argued.  "You know that.  Don't be a fool."

"He's FINE!" Koji shouted.  "You saw him today!"

"Yes," Spirit said suddenly.  "Today.  But maybe not tomorrow."

"Spirit doesn't speak much, but he's usually right.  Koji, there are some Robattles where the slightest miscalculation could mean defeat for you.  If Sumilidon malfunctions, I cannot guarantee I'll be there to help you.  Spirit's motivation is to defeat Rokusho, and mine is to retain my title, if only to keep the Rubberobos out of the World Robattle Championships.  Neither of us is willing to give those goals up just for you.  I suggest you keep that in mind."

They left Koji alone in the team locker room, to think, and more importantly, to plan.

* * * * *

Continued in Chapter 9: The Chaos Crunch

Beetlemania vs. Samantha & Co. – Can Samantha back up her boast, or will Erika (and Ikki) beat her again?

The Champions vs. The Evil Dudes – Will Sumilidon keep it together, or fall apart?

Tournament Point System

-40p – loss

15p – tie

20p – win

35p – decisive win

50p – defeat titleholder

100p – D. Champs

Note: A decisive win is generally one where all opponents have ceased functioning and the winner(s) is either untouched or barely scratched.  This may change later, at the referee's discretion.

In Triple Team, EACH Medabot (not team, but Medabot ON the team) has a chance to get three times as many points as they would for beating a single opponent.  So if Metabee, Brass, and Octoclam beat, say, the Screws in a decisive win, they'd each get 105 points (35 for each Screw).  The same goes for Tag Team and ties, but with two times the points.  Each of the Screws would only lose 40 points, though.  

If Brass & Octoclam were to beat Arcbeetle & Sumilidon in Tag Team, each would get 100 points.  Decisive wins don't matter over titleholders, you always get 50 points for beating one.

Division champions get an extra 100 points toward their grand totals.  So if Beetlemania wins Triple Team, each Medabot on the team gets 100 points.  The same goes for the other divisions. 

If a team beat Beetlemania decisively in Triple Team, each Medabot would get 35 points for Brass, 35 for Octoclam, and 50 for Metabee.

One last rule: anyone with –50 or less is eliminated from that division, but may still participate in another division.  Although they HAVE to win their next match, of course, to continue Robattling.

Last but not least, current point totals!  Keep in mind that every Robattle won't be shown, only the ones significant to the storyline.

End of Qualifying Round

Beetlemania

                Ikki/Metabee: 105 pts

                Erika/Brass: 105 pts

                Natalie/Octoclam: 105 pts

The Champions

                SMX/Arcbeetle: 105 pts

                Koji/Sumilidon: 105 pts

                Spirit: 105 pts

Samantha & Co.

                Samantha/Peppercat: 105 pts

                All Others: 105 pts

The Evil Dudes

                Rintaro/Kantaroth: 105 pts

                Miranda/TeleTeddy: 105 pts

                Rokusho: 105 pts

I know, that probably seemed pointless to you, but I'll be doing it at the end of every chapter, just to keep you posted of how things are going.


	10. C9: The Chaos Crunch

Notes:  So there's no confusion, Spirit's Medafighter was known as the Phantom Medafighter (not to be confused with the Phantom Renegade).  There is a connection between all of them, but I'll get to it later.

Also, this storyline will NOT follow the anime, as I found the ending…odd, to say the least…

Other Stuff: Rollerman looks like a yellow knight on wheels, has a Knight medal, and great defense.  They're in Medabots: Metabee Version. I'll try to stick to bots in the anime to avoid confusion, though.

As far as I know, Metabee doesn't have a Medaforce attack called Multi-Shot.  But he should.

Summary: The Evil Dudes expose Sumilidon's weaknesses.  Metabee runs into some old friends…who turn out to be future opponents.  Koji makes a difficult choice.

Brass and the Knuckle…OF DOOM!

Chapter 8: The Chaos Crunch

"Spirit!  Could I have a moment of your time, please?" the reporter called.

Spirit paused, then glanced at his teammates.

"Go on," Koji encouraged.  "They want you, not us."

"See you in the ring," Sumilidon echoed, briefly touching fists with the gray KBT.

Space Medafighter X only nodded before continuing to the ring.

The reporter got right down to business.  "It's great to see you in action again, Spirit.  But everyone's dying to know: where is your Medafighter, the Phantom Medafighter?"

"Away," Spirit said simply.

The reporter sweatdropped.  "What do you think your chances are, Robattling without him?"

"Spirit…will win…when Spirit needs to."

"What was it that made you join The Champions?"

"…destiny…and Rokusho."

"Then you do plan to revive your rivalry with him from ten years ago?"

"Will do…what must be done."

"Is it mere coincidence that Rokusho's Medafighter, Dr. Hushi, is also missing in action?"

"…no comment."

"Do you care to comment on Specter & Hikaru Rigata, the KBT & Medafighter who allegedly began the Ten Days of Darkness?"

Spirit slowly raised his revolver.  "…interview over…"

The reporter backed off, and Spirit headed to the ring, his head lowered either in thought or regret.

* * * * *

"In the Red Corner!  First, with TeleTeddy, Miranda!  Next, Team Leaders Rintaro & Kantaroth!  Last but not least, another Robattle veteran making his return, the legendary Rokusho!  Together, they are the E-Dudes!"

"Funny how they forgot the –vil part," Ikki muttered.

"Well, they can't just tell everyone," Erika reasoned.  "But I almost wish they were stupid enough to…"

"Kinda hard to believe they're Rubberobos, then," Metabee noted.

Rintaro confidently led his team to the ring, being sure to make eye contact with Ikki & Erika before looking away.

"And now the Blue Corner!  First, Koji & Sumilidon, THE NUMBER TWO RANKED MEDAFIGHTING DUO IN JAPAN!  Next are Team Leaders Space Medafighter X & Arcbeetle, THE NUMBER ONE RANKED MEDAFIGHTING DUO IN JAPAN!  Finally, the famous Spirit!  Together, they are The Champions!"

* * * * *

As soon as the match started, TeleTeddy vanished from sight.

There was no time to focus on that, though, because Kantaroth & Rokusho were already running.  Rokusho veered off and headed straight for Spirit, which left Kantaroth to deal with Arcbeetle and Sumilidon…or so it seemed.

Koji saw his opportunity to prove his worth and took it.  "Sumilidon!  Shadowsword!"

Sumilidon sprang at Kantaroth, but inches away, his body froze in midair, stopped by an unseen force.

Rintaro grinned.  "Make 'em dance, Kantaroth!"

Kantaroth forced Acrbeetle back with his repeaters, which left Sumilidon stranded in the center of the ring.

Rokusho & Spirit had locked hands, each trying to overpower the other.  Neither was winning.

"It's time, dude!" Rintaro suddenly shouted.  "Chaos Crunch!"

The Fist of Chaos, now glowing crimson, flew from Kantaroth's arm and latched onto Sumilidon's head, gradually applying more and more pressure.

"Sumilidon!" Koji cried in alarm.  "You have to break free!  You HAVE to!!!"

SMX knew that once Sumilidon was down, there was very little chance of a decisive win, much less a win at all.  There were only seconds left to act.  "Arcbeetle!  Fireball Fanatic!  GO!"

"Warning: Power Overload Imminent!" beeped his Medawatch.

Arcbeetle began to spin like a top, shooting fireballs in every direction until the ring was hidden by all the explosions and smoke.

But in the midst of the attack, Miranda's voice rang out: "Bear Bomb!"

Shortly, the ring actually DID explode, and Sumilidon cleared the smoke, soaring almost ten feet up before he crashed outside of the ring.

When the smoke cleared, only Kantaroth & Spirit were left standing.  As soon as they both realized that, they spun around, fired, and hit the ground at the same time.

"All functions ceased!" Mr. Referee announced.  "I declare this Robattle…a tie!  45 points to all Medabots!"

* * * * *

Erika found Koji in his locker room, looking paler than ever as Neutranurse healed Sumilidon.

"Koji, it wasn't your fault."

Koji glanced at her.  "Dr. Aki told me that there might be times where parts didn't respond, but he never said anything about freezing."

"That was TeleTeddy," Erika explained.  "I've studied the way he moves.  I'm positive he can teleport, but I had no idea he could become invisible.  He's what was holding Sumilidon back."

"You're just saying that."

"I am not.  Brass picked it up on her scanner.  That's why Sumilidon took the most damage.  TeleTeddy was right behind him."

Koji couldn't deny that it made sense.  "Today it was a tie.  We got lucky.  No, I got lucky.  I refuse to win by luck anymore."

"I'm glad to hear you say that," Erika said.  "Because if I have to fight you, I'll show no mercy."

Koji blinked in surprise.

"Don't look at me like that.  I won't take the off chance that Sumilidon has a good day and wipes out Brass.  When we fight, you better bring everything you have.  I'm done taking it easy.  Brass and I have worked too hard to let anyone beat us."

Slowly, Koji nodded.  "I understand.  Thank you, Erika."

"My offer still stands."  With that, she took off her black Medawatch and slipped it into Koji's pocket.  "You don't have to use it," she went on, silencing his protests.  "Just…hang onto it for me for a while."

"I won't depend on another Medabot to win my battles."

Erika smirked.  "Based on what I saw today, you better rethink that plan.  You're here to keep your title, Koji.  What chance do you have if you don't use every resource at your disposal?  It's not smart, and it's not going to make Sumilidon perform any better.  You remember that when you're sitting at home watching Brass and I Robattle in the WRCs."

Koji glared at her back as she left, then placed a trembling hand over his pocket.

* * * * *

"So what's this Samantha like?" Natalie asked as she polished Octoclam's head.

Ikki looked up.  "In a word?  Tough.  Chances are her new backup's even tougher.  There's no way she'd Robattle us with Spike & Sloan at this level."

"So it'll be a real workout?"

"Yeah.  But only a workout.  Erika & I have both beaten her before."

"You sound pretty confident, Ikki."

He shrugged.  "I have faith in our team," he said simply.  

Natalie's gaze went back to Octoclam.  "You've known Erika for a long time, huh?"

"As long as I can remember.  I think the first time I met her, she told me I was coming to her birthday party.  And when I didn't, she came to my house and dragged me over."

Natalie giggled.  "She sounds pretty tough herself."

"She is.  And ever since she got the Knuckle of Doom, she's been even tougher.  Almost a totally different person.  Lately, I've been thinking that…"  He trailed off.

"What?"

"That maybe she'll be the one to take my title."

Natalie's eyes widened.  "Really?  She's THAT good?"

Ikki nodded.  "It's just…I don't know how I'd react if she did.  I'd be proud of her, of course, but…I'd be mad, I guess.  Metabee's been looking forward to going to the WRCs, and the thought of it being stripped away by Erika & Brass…it's hard to think about, really."

"Because she's your best friend?"

"Well, yeah."

Natalie thought for a moment.  "Ikki, when this division is over…you and Erika should go into Tag Team together.  I'll find another partner."

"Huh?  But I thought you-"

Natalie shook her head.  "I can tell you're really confused right now.  You need to sort out your feelings for Erika.  Figure out how much she means to you, and what you're willing to do to keep your title."

"How do I do that?"

"Ask her what her ultimate goal is.  What her dream is.  If she's changed as much as you say, it'll be different from what it's been in the past.  Maybe this new goal is what's making her so determined."

"Maybe," Ikki murmured.

"Look, if you really want to know, ask yourself one thing.  Even if Erika doesn't win, would winning the WRCs mean as much to you if she wasn't there to see it?"

* * * * *

"In the Red Corner!  First, with Octoclam, maker of the world's most excellent octopus balls, Natalie!  Followed by citywide champions Erika & Brass!  Finally, Team Leaders Ikki & Metabee, the NUMBER THREE RANKED MEDAFIGHTING DUO IN JAPAN!!!  Together, they are Beetlemania!"

"And now, the Blue Corner!  With Medabots Rollerman & Rollerman, the Medaknights!  Followed by Team Leaders Samantha & Peppercat!  Together, they are Team Regal!"

"Ready to lose, little Erika?!" Samantha shouted from across the ring.

"Don't listen," Ikki warned.  "She's just trying to distract you."

Erika nodded stiffly.  "So.  Is there a plan this time?"

Ikki frowned.  "I couldn't plan without knowing who her partners were.  We're gonna have to wing it."

"No problem," Natalie said confidently.  "Judging from the size of them, they're not very fast.  So Peppercat should be the only one we need to slow down.  Octoclam can handle that."

It had been quite a while since Ikki had seen a Rollerman in action, but he had a sinking feeling that Natalie was wrong.

* * * * *

"Medabots…Rooobattle!"

Team Regal spread out at once, with the two Rollermen hugging the edge of the ring and Peppercat racing straight down the middle.

Brass & Metabee went after the Rollermen, who instantly raised their thick shields as they were peppered with rapid fire.

"Nothing," Ikki muttered.  "We have to take out the lead Medabot, then."

"Leave it to me!" Natalie said.  "Octoclam, Ten Wind!"

Octoclam's body turned into a red cyclone as he headed straight for Peppercat.

Samantha grinned.  "Nice try, Red.  But not today."

The instant before Octoclam could connect, a Rollerman appeared and knocked him away its shield.

"What?!" Natalie cried.  "But…how could it move so fast?!"

Samantha cackled.  "Don't you know anything?!  Rollermen may not be fast, but their first priority is protecting their allies!  Which means I can do this!"  She raised her Medawatch.  "Peppercat, Lightning Rod!"

Peppercat leaped onto the shoulders of the Rollermen and raised her arms.  Her body began to crackle with incredible electric power.

"That doesn't look good," Erika sighed.  "Brass, prepare for heavy fire!"

"Be ready to move, Metabee!" Ikki called.

Without warning, three bolts of lightning flew straight at them.

Octoclam barely dove aside in time, but was nailed by a Rollerman before he could regain his balance.  It all happened so fast that Natalie could only gasp as Octoclam hit the ground…outside of the ring.

The second bolt caught the side of Metabee's head and knocked him down.

Brass grunted as the final bolt hit the K.O.D. directly, but sighed in relief when there was no major damage.

Erika grinned.  "Thanks for the power boost, Samantha!" she shouted.

Samantha growled.  "It's three on two now!  You're going down!"

Erika continued to grin…until she noticed the look on Ikki's face.  "What's wrong?"

Ikki slowly looked up from his Medawatch.  "Metabee's not damaged much, but…that hit fried his targeting systems.  He can still shoot, but there's almost no chance of him hitting anything."

Erika's jaw dropped.  "You're kidding!"

"I would NOT kid about this, Erika!!!"

There was no more time to debate, because the Rollermen were closing in.

Erika thought desperately as she ordered Brass out of the way.  "Samantha said their top priority is protecting allies.  So if we attack Peppercat, one will have to be there to guard her…that's IT!"

"What?  What?!" Ikki cried.

"I may have a way around Metabee's firing blind.  Gimme a sec!"  Erika raised her Medawatch.  "Brass, we need one of those quakes, and it's got to mess up the ring!"

"Got it!"  Brass waited until a Rollerman was bearing down on her, then leaped up, pushing off its shoulders to gain even greater height.  Time seemed to slow down as she brought the K.O.D. down with all her might.

The ring looked as if a bomb had been set off.  Large chunks of it flew up and then crashed back down.  By the time it had settled, the ring looked more like a rocky canyon.

"Ha!  Let's see them roll through that!" Erika laughed.  

"Did you forget something, Erika?" Samantha shouted.  "Peppercat, go!"

"I didn't forget anything, but maybe you did, Samantha!"  Erika turned to Ikki.  "Have Metabee fire the Seeker Missiles, and don't worry about hitting Brass!"

Ikki hesitated for a second, and then gave Metabee the order.

Peppercat paused as the missiles launched, but continued towards Metabee when she noticed they were flying about aimlessly.

Erika grinned.  "Brass!  Scouter on!"

The missiles curved suddenly and homed in on Peppercat, who was still racing towards Metabee.

Samantha shook her head.  "Haven't you figured it out yet?  Nothing's gonna touch Peppercat!"

And she was right.  A Rollerman instantly appeared in front of Peppercat, shield at the ready.

"Move it, Brass!" Erika called.

Brass ran forward and tagged the Rollerman, sending him spinning around and exposing his back to the missiles.  She barely had time to dodge as the missiles slammed into Rollerman, which threw him forward, clipping Peppercat in the process.

"Watch it!" Samantha barked at her teammate.

Brass grabbed the fallen Rollerman with the K.O.D., straining only slightly as she lifted him over her head…and tossed him out of the ring.

"…where can I get one of those?!" Natalie asked.

Ikki shrugged, and was suddenly distracted by a bright green glow.  "Metabee…?"

"I can't TAKE this!" Metabee growled.  "Brass shouldn't have to Robattle them all by herself!"

"Metabee, you're glowing!  It's the Medaforce!  B-But…you can't aim!"

"Yes, he can!" Erika cried.  "Brass, Scouter on!"

"Do it, Metabee!" Brass called.

"MEDAFORCE!!!"

The golden beam flew from Metabee's arms and split into two, each aimed for a remaining enemy Medabot.

"NOOO!!!" Samantha yelled as one beam caught Peppercat in the side.

The last Rollerman was nearly knocked over by the beam, but managed to remain upright.

Suddenly, the K.O.D. began to glow bright green as well, and when it faded, Brass was armed with a green Totalizer arm.  Without any hesitation, she fired on Rollerman.

The laser hit Rollerman right between the eyes, and he collapsed to the ground.

Samantha was nearly tearing out her hair.  "PEPPERCAT!  TAKE!  HER!  DOWN!!!"

Peppercat leaped at Brass, preparing to execute her Lightning Jump.

Brass merely turned and fired up.

The laser knocked Peppercat off course, and she slammed into the ground, skidding a few feet on the upturned ground before coming to a permanent stop.

"Functions ceased!" Mr. Referee announced.  "The winners are…Beetlemania!  105 points to each Medabot!"

"Great win, you guys!" Natalie cheered, pulling Ikki & Erika into a big hug.  "I've never seen anything like that!"

"Told you we were unbeatable," Ikki said, winking at Erika.

Erika just shook her head and laughed as they left the ring with their Medabots.

"I better get Octoclam to Neutranurse & Karin," Natalie said quickly.  "Ikki, I'll take Metabee & Brass, if you want.  You guys should go relax and celebrate the victory; you deserve it."

If Ikki realized that Natalie was trying to leave he and Erika alone together, he didn't say anything.

"That's really nice of you, Natalie," Erika replied.

"No problem!  Seeya!" Natalie called as she left with the three Medabots.

"Is it me, or was she trying to ditch us?" Erika asked.

"I'm sure she just wanted to give us some time alone," Ikki said honestly.  Upon catching Erika's look, he quickly added, "To celebrate, of course.  You hungry?"

Erika admitted that she was, and they decided to celebrate at a nearby pizza parlor.

* * * * *

"Are you sure we shouldn't have just waited back at the arena with Karin?" Brass asked.

"No way," Metabee disagreed as he marched up to the pizza parlor.  "If Ikki thinks he can party without me, he's got another thing coming!"

"Well, it's not like we can eat pizza," Brass pointed out.  

"Forget that!  It's the principal of the thing, Brass!"  Metabee yanked the door open and nearly collided with a Medabot that was just leaving.  "Oh, sorry about that, buddy.  I-"

"Metabee???" 

Metabee's optics nearly bulged out of his head.  "Oceana?!"

The Mermaid Metabot touched his shoulder.  "It's so good to see you again, Metabee!  I should've known you'd be in town for the championships.  You are competing, aren't you?"

"Um…yeah," Metabee replied slowly, still in shock.  "Brass and I just won today…"

"Brass?"  Oceana peered past him.  "Oh, of course!  You're the one who let me borrow your body when I lost my medal!  I can't thank you enough for-"

"It was no problem," Brass interrupted politely.

Just then, a young girl emerged from the pizza parlor.  "There you are, Oceana.  Did you—Metabee!"

"Hey, Hannah," Metabee said just before she hug-tackled him.

"I was hoping we'd see you!  I've got some great news!" Hannah bubbled.

"Really?  What?"

"I just got off the phone with our team captain, and he says you're our next opponents!  Isn't that great?"  
  


"…I guess?" Metabee replied, not quite sure he'd heard right.

"Don't worry, though!" Hannah said.  "We'll always be grateful for what you did for us, but we won't let that get in the way of a good Robattle!  I promise we'll do our best to beat you!"

"We…appreciate that," Brass added hesitantly, noticing Metabee's odd expression.

"Well, we gotta go.  Have to train hard, y'know.  See you tomorrow, Metabee!" Hannah called as she and Ocean walked away.

"Metabee?" Brass asked.  "Are you going to be able to focus during the battle tomorrow?  I know you and Oceana…are very close…"

"Um…what makes you ask that?" Metabee countered, looking a bit defensive.

Brass patted his arm.  "If it bothers you that much, I'll deal with Oceana tomorrow."

Metabee looked slightly relieved.  "Really?"

Brass nodded.  "Certainly.  That's what partners do.  Right?"

Metabee chuckled.  "Right.  Y'know, Brass, I'm really glad Ikki decided to team up with you and Erika."

Brass considered that for a moment.  "Metabee…if you had to Robattle me…would you hesitate the way you did with Oceana?"

Metabee seemed confused.  "Why would I have to Robattle you, Brass?  You just said we were partners."

"There aren't any partners in the singles division, Metabee," she reminded him.

"Oh.  Yeah…"  Metabee glanced away, then sighed.  "Look, Brass.  I've got your back, and you've got mine.  If we should meet in a Robattle, well…"  He trailed off uncertainly, then nodded.  "I won't hold back, and I don't expect you to, either."

Brass was a little surprised by his answer.  "Do you mean that?"

"Yeah.  Erika wouldn't like it if you held back against anyone.  And there's no way either of us could accept the win if we both didn't try our hardest, right?"

She nodded.  "Of course.  But…you've seen what the K.O.D. can do…"

"And you've seen what the Medaforce can do," he countered smoothly.  "And when it's over, we'll still be partners.  Deal?"  Metabee held out his hand.

"Deal!"  Brass gripped his hand with the K.O.D.

Metabee winced noticeably.  "Hey, Brass?  We're not Robattling YET.  You don't have to crush my hand…"

"Oops!"  Brass jerked her hand back, looking embarrassed.  "Sorry, Metabee…"

He laughed.  "S'okay.  C'mon, let's go drag our Medafighters outta there.  They can't be having too much fun without us."  

* * * * *

JNRC Standings!

Beetlemania: 210

S.O.S.:210

E. Dudes: 195

Champs: 195

Continued in Chapter 9: Shake Hands with S.O.S.!

Can Beetlemania beat three old friends that have improved a LOT since their last Robattles with Metabee?  Can the Champions squeeze another win out of Sumilidon, or will a trio of Rubberobo Medabots prove to be their downfall?  


	11. C10: Shakes Hands with SOS!

Notes: More confusion.  One of the Medafighters on S.O.S., according to TV Tome, is named Tom.  I could've SWORN his name was Jacques.  If anyone recalls, please let me know what his name was.

Based on what I've seen of Shrimplips, he's a damn good Medafighter.  I think he knows the value of hard work…at least, when it comes to Robattling.  Seaslug wouldn't be a leader if he didn't know a thing or two, and Squidguts…is an idiot.

Summary: Ikki & Metabee must put friendship aside, because the S.O.S. is taking no prisoners.  The Champions fight to survive a heated match with the Rubberobo Gang's Terrible Trio.  A surprise move casts Rokusho in an even more mysterious light… 

Brass and the Knuckle…OF DOOM!

Chapter 9: Shake Hands with S.O.S.!

"Ikki!  IKKI!  You gotta see this!"

Ikki groaned and rolled over in bed.  "Metabee, it's barely even six…"

"Ikkster, I wouldn't wake you if it wasn't important!" Metabee snapped from the window.  

Ikki sighed and dragged himself out of bed.  His eyes widened in shock as he reached the window.  "HOLY MEDAROLI!!!"

"Told ya," Metabee chuckled.

"But it…it's SNOWING!!!"

"I tried to tell you!"

"Metabee, how can it be snowing?!  It's SUMMER!!!"

"Well, you remember who was in town the last time we had a freak snowstorm?"

Ikki blinked.  "Hey…you don't think Oceana would team up with them and not say so, do you?"

"Well, I didn't have time to ask; Hannah rushed her off so quick.  Maybe they did…"

"I better call Erika, then.  We're gonna need some REALLY warm Medaparts to win this Robattle."

"Ikki, you read my mind!"

* * * * *

Though Arcbeetle was keeping the locker room of the Champions warm, there was still cold tension in the air.

Space Medafighter X threw a curious glance at Koji as he looked over Sumilidon again.  "Tell me, Koji.  Who will you be Robattling with today: Sumilidon…or Brutal?"

Koji whirled on him.  "How can you even ask me that?!"

"For one thing, Brutal holds a grudge against our opponents: the Rubberobos."

"Sumilidon could handle those idiots just fine any day of the week."

"Before Rokusho's attack, you mean."

Koji glared up at him.  "He'll get the job done.  End of discussion."

"Very well.  But I warn you now, Koji.  When I think Sumilidon can no longer be depended upon, you will either replace him, or this team has fought its last Robattle."

"Time to go," Spirit said suddenly, bringing an abrupt end to the conversation.

* * * * *

"In the Red Corner!  First, Koji & Sumilidon, THE NUMBER TWO RANKED MEDAFIGHTING DUO IN JAPAN!  Next are Team Leaders Space Medafighter X & Arcbeetle, THE NUMBER ONE RANKED MEDAFIGHTING DUO IN JAPAN!  Finally, the famous Spirit!  Together, they are The Champions!"

"And now, the Blue Corner!  First are Gokudo and Shrimpy Lipowitz!  Next with Gobanko, Guido Guttalucci!  Finally, Team Leaders Whitesword and Seymore Slugbottoms!  Together, they are The Terror-ific Trio!"

The Rubberobos were obviously entered under their real names so that they could participate legally.  But the effect was somewhat ruined, since Squidguts was still dressed in his Rubberobo suit.

"Way to Robattle undercover, moron," Shrimpy growled.

"I can't help it!  I told you my zipper's stuck!" Squidguts complained, tugging at the zipper.

Mr. Referee scratched his head in confusion.  "Don't I know you from somewhere…?"

"Oh, I've just got one of those recognizable faces!" Squidguts laughed nervously.

"Yeah.  I know I'd never forget your face, no matter how hard I try," Seymore sighed.

"Aw…thanks, boss!" Squidguts chuckled.  "That's nice of you to say!"

Shrimpy shook his head.  "Just stop before you hurt yourself, Squidguts, and try not to go down too fast."

* * * * *

"Medabots, Rooobattle!!!"

"Scatter!  Claw Formation!" Seymore barked at his team.

Gobanko took the lead while Whitesword & Gokudo fell in behind him.

"The pointy one's mine!" Squidguts shouted.  "Gobanko, cut him in half!"

"That's one honor you'll have to earn," Space Medafighter X replied.  "Arcbeetle, Fireball Attack!"

Gobanko charged with his bladed staff ready, but was forced to stop in order to dodge all the fireballs being launched at him.  

"Hey, no fair!" Squidguts complained.  

Seymore frowned.  "Shrimpy, stall the KBT!  I'll take care of the other one!"

Shrimpy nodded.  "You heard the man, Gokudo!  Get the ghost!"

SMX was a little surprised at that order.  Spirit had mastered his medal, and Gokudo was undoubtedly still gaining experience.  It was very likely that one punch from Spirit would tear Gokudo apart.

But as the two Medabots met in the center of the ring, Shrimpy's strategy was revealed.

Instead of going head-to-head with Spirit, Gokudo dodged the initial charge and tried to keep the KBT off balance by stretching his arms at random.  None of his punches hit, but he wasn't giving Spirit too many chances to fight back, either.  Despite shooting being his specialty, Spirit seemed to prefer Robattling with his hands.  Gokudo clearly knew that, because whenever Spirit did get close enough to land a hit, he would counter.  By firing his arms at high speed, Gokudo was unable to really damage Spirit, but his blows connected hard enough with Spirit's to absorb the impact.  But even that took split-second timing and precision, proving that Gokudo—and by extension, Shrimpy—was no slouch.  Despite their being members of the Rubberobo Gang, one couldn't help but be inspired by the level at which the duo had trained themselves to duke it out with Spirit.

Seymore made good on his promise to take care of Sumilidon.  Whitesword was extremely fast, even considering his slim build.  Each of his Medaparts had been designed for maximum speed, yet they all contained enough subtle power to make Whitesword a very dangerous opponent…and then there was his sword. 

There was a time when such a foe would've been a welcome challenge for Koji & Sumilidon.  But one look at Whitesword's movements told Koji all he needed to know.  There was no way Sumilidon could keep up in his current state…at least, not for very long.  He'd either overheat his Medaparts, or they would simply break down from the pressure place upon them.  In either situation, there was the additional risk of doing direct damage to the medal, which would almost assure this would be Sumilidon's last Robattle for quite some time.

Yet, Koji would not and could not abandon his teammates in the middle of a Robattle.  His honor code wouldn't allow it, and neither would Sumilidon's.  He would just have to do his best while Sumilidon's parts and medal held out.

"Show him the power of your Shadowsword, Sumilidon!"

"Bring it on, kid!" Seymore shouted back.  "Whitesword, take him out!"

At first, Sumilidon had serious problems blocking all of Whitesword's strikes, and took several hits to the body.  But through it all, he never stopped fighting.

Koji growled under his breath.  "Time to see how much this new medal can take.  Sumilidon, E-Speed!"

Sumilidon's body began to glow bright orange.  Suddenly, he was moving just as fast as Whitesword and had little or no problem blocking.  But Whitesword wasn't letting himself get damaged, and the longer the fight dragged on, the less reliable Sumilidon would become.

"Pretty good, kid!" Seymroe laughed.  "But let's see if you can keep up with this!  Mystic Mirage!"

Whitesword leaped back and thrust his sword into the air.  The blade began to glow bright blue, and without warning, there were two copies of the white ninja on each side of him.  The five Medabots moved as one, quickly surrounding Sumilidon.

Koji smirked.  It was an old tactic.  Only one was real, and all he had to do was find the real one.  Thanks to Sumilidon's advanced HUNTER targeting system, that would be easy.  "Activate HUNTER!"

Sumilidon paused as his visor lit up…but he made no move to attack.  "Koji…something's wrong!  They're…they're all real!"

"Impossible!  They can't ALL be real!  It's a mirage!"

"Just a trick of the light," Seymore agreed with a sinister grin.  "But lasers are light, too, and they're real enough, aren't they?  But if you think a fancy light show won't hurt you, go right ahead and attack."

Again, Koji was reminded of his former glory days.  Back then, he would've had Sumilidon charge headlong into one of the copies and hoped for the best.  But now…now he was all too aware of how much Sumilidon meant to him, and the thought of being so reckless was too frightening.

Realizing Koji wasn't going to attack, Seymore pressed his advantage.  "No more waiting, Whitesword!  End it!"

In the end, it wouldn't have mattered if all but one Whitesword had been fake or not.  They all struck at once, in the same place.  

There was a blinding flash of light, and then silence.

When the glow faded, Whitesword stood behind Sumilidon, his sword buried to the hilt in his opponent's back.  In one smooth motion, the sword was withdrawn, and Sumilidon sank to his knees, clearly out of the Robattle.

"Arcbeetle, Initiate Power-up!" SMX ordered, a hint of desperation in his tone.

Squidguts had seen enough of SMX to know what was coming.  "Gobanko, get outta there!"

Spirit suddenly grabbed Gokudo's wrists and swung him around in rapid, wide circles.  Then he jumped up and planted his feet firmly in Gokudo's chest, pushing off with all his might.  The push sent him flying, and to keep Gokudo's arms from being torn clean off, Shrimpy had his Medabots stretch as far as possible, not realizing that was just what Spirit wanted.  With the added momentum, the gray KBT slammed into Gobanko…which sent him flying straight at Arcbeetle.

"Nooooo!!!" Squidguts wailed, but it was too late.

"Say hello to the Power of the Sun!" SMX chuckled triumphantly.  "Arcbeetle, Prominence time!"

Very few opponents had survived the Prominence long range, and Gobanko didn't stand a chance at point blank.

With one Medabot down on each team, the Robattle was just getting interesting.  But then, Whitesword plunged his sword into the ring and stepped away from it, bowing his head.

Seymore frowned, but motioned to Mr. Referee.  "We surrender."

Mr. Referee blinked a few times.  "Very well.  Then I declare this match…a win for The Champions!  60 points to each Medabot!"

Though Koji was worried about Sumilidon, he couldn't help but stare as the Rubberobos retreated.  "I don't understand.  Why'd they give up?  They still had a chance."

"I think I know," SMX replied.  "They didn't come here to win.  Their job was to stop us from winning…and they succeeded.  We were already behind in the standings, and a normal win as opposed to a decisive one assures that we'll stay behind."

"I…I'm sorry," Koji whispered.  "It's my fault."

"No.  Sumilidon fought well today.  You should be proud."

"You're not…angry?" Koji asked as Spirit joined them.  "Either of you?"

"Spirit came to fight Rokusho," the KBT replied.  "All else can wait."

"As for why I'm not angry," SMX added.  "Well…just listen."

"I have some very exciting news!" Mr. Referee announced.  "With today's win, The Champions have secured a spot in the Final Four!"

Koji smiled faintly.  "We made it…"

"Yes.  But I would strongly suggest you let Sumilidon rest after today, Koji.  He does not have to miss the entire tournament…but I do believe it's time to give Brutal a try."

"You're right.  When I saw him out there…I just knew."  Koji carefully helped Sumilidon sit up.  "Thank you, my friend.  You helped us get this far, and I'll never forget it.  I promise."

* * * * *

"So…how much do we know about our opponents?" Natalie asked. 

Ikki shrugged.  "We know for sure they've got a healer with a Mermaid medal.  And…um…we're 98% sure they're using a Snobro."

"That WOULD explain why it's so cold out…and in," Natalie agreed, zipping up her jacket.  "So what about the other one?"

"That's all we know," Metabee replied.  "Erika & Brass are trying to find out more now, and if anyone can dig up some dirt on Medabots, it's those two."

Just then, Erika ran into the locker room, followed closely by Brass.  "I've got good news and bad news."

"Bad news first," Ikki decided.

"Well, I'm not sure who the last Medafighter is or what Medabot they're using.  But I've got a pretty good feeling he's the team captain Hannah mentioned to Metabee & Brass."

"And the good news?"

"I found out the name of the team is S.O.S.  I did some figuring, and I think it's an acronym for their Medabots.  Snobro and Oceana…S and O."

"But who's the last S?" Natalie asked.

"Sharkkan?" Metabee guessed.

Ikki looked thoughtful.  "Maybe.  Could be Spiritus…Seaguru…Sir Gold…but those are all Rubberobo Medabots, and Hannah wouldn't team up with them.  At least, she wouldn't be so excited about it."

"Kinda hard to plan a strategy, then," Octoclam pointed out.

"Maybe not," Ikki said.  "We know we need warm parts to keep from being frozen.  I've got a Totalizer arm from when I first beat Sloan, plus a Phoenix hover part to keep Metabee moving."

"Brass has the K.O.D., so I can lend you a Totalizer arm, Natalie," Erika offered.

Natalie shook her head.  "No.  Octoclam's a grappling Medabot.  He'd only get in the way with shooting or laser parts.  We'll just stay back and support you guys with Power Leech again.  That way we'll be fresh if this mystery Medabot is a handful."

"That's…actually…a very good plan," Erika murmured softly.  "But are you sure you don't mind?"

"I joined this team because I thought we'd go all the way.  I'm not going to jeopardize our chances just for a few minutes of fame.  Just being associated with you guys should do wonders for the family business!"

Ikki sweatdropped.  "So that's why Mr. Referee keeps mentioning the octopus balls…"

Natalie beamed at him.  "Okay, enough talking!  Let's go make S.O.S. live up to their name!"

* * * * *

"In the Red Corner!  First, with Octoclam, maker of the world's most delicious octopus balls, Natalie!  Followed by citywide champions Erika & Brass!  Finally, Team Leaders Ikki & Metabee, the NUMBER THREE RANKED MEDAFIGHTING DUO IN JAPAN!!!  Together, they are Beetlemania!"

"And now, the Blue Corner!  First, with Oceana, the adorable Hannah!  Next are top-ranked Tom & Snobro!  Followed by Team Leaders Nathan & Stingray!  Together, they are S.O.S.!"

"Nathan?!" Ikki cried in shock as his old friend approached the ring.

"It's been a while, Ikki," Nathan said with a smile.  "Stingray and I have trained hard, and our team is undefeated so far."

"So's ours!" Erika was quick to add.

"Then someone will walk away today less than perfect."  Nathan held out his hand.  "Let's promise to go all out, Ikki.  The loser buys ice cream for everyone afterwards."

Ikki sweatdropped as he shook Nathan's hand.  "Aren't you getting ahead of yourself?"

"I've changed, Ikki.  I don't let what happens in Robattles change the way I treat people anymore.  We'll still be friends after this, no matter what the outcome.  But right now, it's strictly business."

"Agreed.  Good luck."

"Same to you, Ikki."

Metabee & Stingray briefly touched fists before turning away.

* * * * *

"Medabots, Rooobattle!!!"

"Get up high, Metabee!" Ikki called.  "Don't let them ground you!"

As Metabee soared into the air, Snobro rolled forward.

"Blizzard!" Tom ordered.

The entire ring was soon blanketed in snow, and Metabee found it much harder to move through the air…but not impossible.

Nathan watched the whole scene with alert, narrowed eyes.  "Tom," he said to his teammate.  "I like my clams frozen."

"Loud and clear, fearless leader.  Snobro, Freeze Beam!"

The wide, blue beam flew across the ring and hit Octoclam dead on.  He was frozen in a large ice block.

"Don't worry, Natalie," Erika said.  "I'll have Brass-"

Natalie cut her off.  "No, Erika.  He'd only do it again.  Power Leech can still work even with Octoclam frozen.  Just worry about doing all the damage you can, while you can."

"Damage…that's it!  If I can do enough damage to Snobro, we won't have to worry about this snowstorm!  Brass, track him down and take him out!"

"We've got to keep Stingray busy," Ikki said into his Medawatch.  "Make sure he only aims at you, Metabee!"

"I'm on it, Ikki!"  Metabee quickly swooped past Stingray's head, only to get a homing laser through his right arm.  "Yaaaaaah!!!  How can he see in this mess?!"

"Warning!  Right arm 75% damaged!"   

"Man, he's gotten stronger!" Ikki said in surprise.  "Better keep your distance!"

Metabee flew back and fired whenever he saw a flash of red, but he knew that even if he did hit Stingray, Oceana would just heal him before he appeared again.  "We gotta get rid of this storm!  Brass, can you track any of them?!"

Brass shook her head.  "It's no good, Metabee.  My Scouter can't pinpoint them through the snow!"

Nathan chuckled.  "Maybe now you understand why we're undefeated.  But here's a little demonstration, in case you don't.  Stingray, Multi Fire!"

Instantly, the air was filled with bright green lasers.  It was all Brass & Metabee could do to stay out of the way, even with the effects of Power Leech.

"Ikki, we can't keep this up!" Metabee shouted as a laser just missed his head.  "He'll nail us eventually!"

"That's where you're wrong, Metabee," Nathan said, shaking his head.  "I won't have to."

Suddenly, Snobro came zooming into view, bearing down on Brass with incredible speed.  She dodged aside just in time, but when she turned to fire, Snobro had already vanished back into the storm.

"Hmm.  They shouldn't have been able to dodge that.  Unless…"  Nathan thought for a moment.  "Stingray, Ultra Beam!"

There was a bright flash of green and a small explosion at the edge of the ring.

Brass & Metabee instantly felt their extra power drain away.  

"What happened?" Brass asked.

"He got Octoclam!" Metabee growled.  "Keep moving, or he'll-"

He'd barely gotten the words out when Snobro roared past again, managing to tag Metabee with a glancing blow to the head.

"Warning!  Head 60% damaged!"

Erika growled in frustration.  "I've had enough of this!  Brass, we need a quake and fast!  Ikki, have Metabee fire his missiles if you see ANYTHING move afterwards!"

Brass struck the ground with the K.O.D., and Metabee instantly fired.  There was an explosion seconds later, in which Brass spotted something large tumbling to the ground.  She raced forward and leaped, scoring a direct hit on Snobro's head.

"Stay on him!" Erika cried.  "Quick, before she heals him!"

But even as she spoke the words, Snobro's arm flew up and clubbed Brass across the face, sending her skidding to the ground.  She was forced to scramble away as laser fire peppered the spot she'd landed in.

Metabee swooped down where he thought the lasers came from, but ending up crashing headfirst into Snobro, who swatted him down while Stingray unleashed an Ultra Beam at point blank range.

"No!  Metabee!" Ikki cried in disbelief, even as his Medawatch reported that Metabee's functions has ceased.

"They're…so strong," Erika whispered, and she felt fear grip her heart for the first time in the match.

"Two down, one to go," Nathan reported.  "Let's make this a decisive win, team.  Close in on Brass!"

Brass backed up, still unable to track anything through the snow.  "What should I do, Erika?"

"I…I don't know, Brass," Erika admitted softly, hanging her head.  "I'm sorry…"

Before Brass could reply, a laser tore through her left arm.

"Warning!  Left arm 78% damaged!"

Brass continued to back up, sensing her Medafighter's uneasiness.  "It's okay, Erika.  We did our best, and we've come this far.  I'm not afraid to lose…"  But suddenly she gasped.  "Erika!!!"

"What?  What is it?!"

"The…the K.O.D.!  It's…shaking!  I don't know what's happening!"

Erika thought that perhaps Brass had somehow disrespected the gauntlet by mentioning losing.  "She's sorry!  She didn't mean it!"

Brass's arm continued to spasm uncontrollably as she moved back.  "Erika…I'm scared!  It's never done this before!   Something's wrong!!"

Erika wanted to say something comforting, but her voice failed her.

The K.O.D. took on an eerie green glow, its light piercing through the storm as it began to warp and twist unnaturally.  Brass could only watch in horror as her arm grew to three times its normal size, shaping itself into a large laser arm that was terrifyingly familiar.

"Erika," Ikki whispered in shock.  "But that's…Mega-Emperor's right arm…the Deathlaser…"

"But…I didn't…I wouldn't!" Erika shrieked.  "Brass, don't use that thing on them!"

"I can't control it!" Brass cried, even as her arm jerked up and began to fire.  "Erika, eject my medal!"

But it was no use.  Brass's medal refused to eject.

The Deathlaser fired again and again, sometimes connecting and sometimes not.  After a few seconds, the snowstorm died away, revealing Stingray and Snobro on the ground.  Only Oceana remained, and she began to back away in fear as she caught sight of Brass's new arm.

The Deathlaser's sights landed on her.  "TARGET LOCKED!" Brass roared in a voice that could not be hers as she ran forward, firing madly.

Oceana took three direct hits before dropping like a stone.  But even then, Brass continued to fire at her lifeless body.  Hannah wailed in horror and turned away, burying her face in Tom's shirt.

"BRASS!" Erika screamed.  "STOP THAT!"

Mr. Referee was just about to declare the match over, in hopes that would stop Brass's assault, when a laser caught Brass in the back, nearly knocking her over.  She spun around to find Stingray standing again, both his arms trained on her.

"That," Nathan said coldly, "was unforgivable.  Stingray, go for the head!  Ultra Beam!"

Stingray laid one arm over the other and fired both at once, creating a huge beam that tore off Brass's head completely.  Her body jerked drunkenly and began to sink to the ground.

Nathan sighed and turned away to check on Hannah.

That was when another shot rang out.

He spun back around, gaping in disbelief as the Deathlaser continued to fire mercilessly from Brass's headless, kneeling body.  Stingray was knocked out of the ring by the blasts, landing in a smoking heap at his Medafighter's feet.

Only when Stingray's functions ceased did the Deathlaser fall lifelessly to Brass's side, reverting back to the K.O.D.

There was silence before Mr. Referee slowly said, "I declare this match…a tie.  45 points to all Medabots…"

* * * * *

The Beetlemania locker room was silent as the seconds seemed to drag on forever.

Finally, Metabee couldn't take it anymore.  His voice rang out from Ikki's Medawatch.  "Ikki!"

"What is it, Metabee?" Ikki asked in a hushed tone.    
  


"Go talk to Erika!"

"But…what could I say?  You didn't SEE what happened out there…"

"All I know is she must feel horrible and she needs a friend.  YOU'RE her best friend, last time I checked."

Ikki risked a glance at Erika.  She was sitting off to the side, staring at Brass's broken body as if it were a poisonous snake.  "But I don't know what to say to her, Metabee."

"Ask her if she's okay.  Tell her you care about her.  Or that you don't blame her.  Tell her SOMETHING!"

Ikki frowned, but finally stood up and crossed the room.  He could feel Natalie's eyes on him as he sat down next to Erika.

Erika gave no sign that she'd even noticed him.

"Erika?" he asked after a moment.

She jerked and looked up at him, clearly startled by his voice.

Ikki nearly gasped when he saw how red her eyes were from crying.  "I-I'm sorry," he said.  "It was my fault.  If I hadn't told Metabee to rush in, Brass never would've been stranded out there, and then she wouldn't have…well…"

"Ikki," Erika said softly, her voice cracking.

"Yeah?" he asked warily.

"Shut up," she whispered before burying her face in his shoulder.

Not knowing what else to do, Ikki wrapped his arms around her and drew Erika closer, hoping that he was somehow helping.

Natalie quietly picked up her things and left the room.  Somehow, she knew that Beetlemania had run its course, and that it would be the last time she would be able to team up with Ikki in this tournament.

* * * * *

Shrimpy grinned evilly as the E-Dudes walked into his locker room.  "Congratulations on your decisive win, Rintaro.  Your team is in the Final Four."

"Hey, was there ever any doubt?" Rintaro chuckled.

"Of course not.  I know you'll make us all proud and go on to win the division.  Have you given any thought to how you'll split in the next division, though?"

"Already covered it, dude," Rintaro said confidently.  "Randi's gonna go solo with her two bears, while Rokusho and I team up."

"Actually," Rokusho said suddenly, his eyes moving to the three Rubberobo Medabots behind Shrimpy, "I had another partner in mind."

Something sliced through the air, and seconds later, Gokudo & Gobanko's heads fell to the floor.

Whitesword stepped forward, trading glances with Rokusho before both walked out of the room.

"…dude, TELL me you knew he was gonna do that!" Rintaro cried.

"Why would I have him destroy Gokudo?!  Of course I didn't know!" Shrimpy screamed.

Out in the hallway, Whitesword looked to Rokusho again.  "We will proceed as planned, then?"

Rokusho nodded.  "The Knuckle is stronger than it ever was, if today is any indicator.  We have to get it away from Brass…and I think Erika will be more than willing to part with it, now that she realizes she can't control its true power…"

* * * * *

JNRC Standings: The Final Four!

E-Dudes: 300

Champs: 255

Beetlemania: 255

S.O.S.: 255

Continued in Chapter 10: Wave Goodbye

Beetlemania is forced to forfeit their Robattle against the E-Dudes.  S.O.S. goes up against the Champions.  Erika does some soul-searching…and challenges Ikki…with the K.O.D.

Endnote: Stingray does not have an Ultra Beam, I made it up…

In case you didn't know, a Medabot generally stops functioning when its head is 100% damaged.


End file.
